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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25155247">Souls Aligned</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/prettylittlepetticoats/pseuds/prettylittlepetticoats'>prettylittlepetticoats</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, BAMF Hermione Granger, Best Friends, Eventual James Potter/Lily Evans Potter, Eventual Romance, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Heavy Angst, Hermione Granger &amp; Harry Potter Friendship, Love, Marauders, Marauders Era (Harry Potter), Marauders Friendship (Harry Potter), Master of Death Harry Potter, Minor James Potter/Lily Evans Potter, POV Harry Potter, POV Hermione Granger, Post-Canon, Remus Lupin &amp; James Potter Friendship, Remus Lupin &amp; Lily Evans Potter Friendship, Romance, Romantic Soulmates, Sirius Black &amp; James Potter Friendship, Sirius Black &amp; Lily Evans Potter Friendship, Sirius Black &amp; Remus Lupin Friendship, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, Soul Bond, Soulmates, Time Travel, Time Travel Fix-It</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-04-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 04:00:44</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>22,864</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25155247</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/prettylittlepetticoats/pseuds/prettylittlepetticoats</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>'Do you trust me? With my life' </p><p>As the silence of battle falls over them, as the war ends, Harry and Hermione rest weary and realise that perhaps this didn't have to be, perhaps they could change it, perhaps it could never happen / HH, Slowburn, Time Travel.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Hermione Granger/Harry Potter, James Potter/Lily Evans Potter</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>45</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>375</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Stop</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>authorsnote: oh my godddd, I know this is another harry potter WIP, I know the others need updating but I thought of this and couldn't not write it! I had, had, had to! hopefully you'll get to the end and agree!</p><p>now this little WIP is something done before but with a big ole twist, lots of twists even and lots of stuff we haven't seen before. I've started mapping it out and I am so hype for it!</p><p>now, without further ado, please enjoy and let me know your thoughts!</p><p>songrecs: home - dotan (check out bells yt video on the marauders to this song, it is awesome).</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The war has been won, and yet everything in her feels like they lost.</p><p>There are too many dead, too many bodies litter the floor of their school, their <em>home</em>. And that is not all, she thinks of Sirius, Dumbledore, Mad Eye, all the people who didn't even make it to this battle.</p><p>The war had claimed many, <em>too</em> <em>many</em>, and she feels empty. As people sit sombrely, not even celebrating, as they mourn loved ones. As Ron sobs over the body of his brother, as the Malfoy's shiver in the corner without wands, as Pavarti wails over Lavender's body, as Dennis and Colin's parents sit comatose next to the bodies of their children. It is too much, too many dead, too much lost.</p><p>She slips out of the Great Hall, for the only thing worse than seeing the dead is hearing the sobbing of the mourners. She feels too numb to cry, and she knows tears will come, later, soon even, but for the moment she is too empty to produce tears.</p><p>So many lost … Fred, Remus, Tonks, Lavender, Colin, Dennis, <em>so many</em> gone. Tears trickle down her cheeks as she slips out but nothing more, the tears fall but no sound leaves her lips. The tears have started now, she wonders when she will start wailing. Soon? She's not sure.</p><p>She doesn't glance back as she walks outside, into the courtyard, to the bridge, where she sees him.</p><p>Of course, he slipped out, he couldn't stand to see those who'd died, probably blamed himself for their deaths. She knows he doesn't want to have to recount his story, be at the centre of attention when so many mourn. That's just Harry, always thinking of others, even when he was affected more than most.</p><p>He is the person who gave them victory, stepped into death as selflessly as he did everything else, and yet he sits alone, blaming himself, as empty as she is.</p><p>"Hey" Her voice is gentle, and he turns to smile at her, though it is a smile filled with pain. He sits on a small pile of rubble and she joins him.</p><p>Whereas she can't stand to be around anyone else with Harry it had always been different, it had always been easy and comfortable, it had always felt so right. She sits next to him, rests her head on his shoulder without a worry and she feels him rest his, as comfortable with her as she is him.</p><p>"I was about to ask if you're okay" She snorts then, and she can feel him smile into her hair. They sit for several minutes, just tucked together, Harry twirling the Elder Wand in his fingers, sat, quiet, comfortable, as comfortable as they can be with so much pain around them. Though being next to him makes it a little easier.</p><p>She loves Harry like no one else, they have a bond, a deep bond that she knows she'll never have with anyone else. Not Ron, with whom the kiss felt odd and she could see he felt the same, not anyone else. She has a deep connection with Harry, and she knows he feels the same with her. She wonders idly if they are soulmates, if such a thing exists, she's sure Harry is hers.</p><p>Before their horcrux hunt they, had been close, but after? After months in a tent just the two of them, dancing the pain away, holding one another at night for warmth and comfort, spending every minute together in determination and concert? Now they are as close as two people can be.</p><p>"We could leave" She offers, even though she knows he'll refuse. Harry is too good, too selfless to ever pick up and run when people need him. She feels him shake his head against her hair and it makes her smile, she knows her best friend well.</p><p>"We have to stay" Such innocuous words, not meaning anything more than the base meaning, and yet as Hermione considers it …</p><p>'<em>We have to stay'</em></p><p>Did they?</p><p>It's a stupid idea really, one she had considered once, when her and Harry had shivered in a single camp bed, clinging together for warmth when Ron was gone. She had considered it once or twice when all hope seemed lost, when even Harry seemed to wane in his belief everything would be okay.</p><p>She knows others have considered it, it had just simply never been done, never could be done, and yet as she looks at Harry, her best friend, her soulmate if such a things exists, as she looks at him twirl the Elder Wand in hand she thinks … <em>if anyone can do it…</em></p><p>She stands up and Harry looks at her, doesn't ask where she's going but to just looks. She holds out her hand for him and it warms her when he takes it without hesitation.</p><p>"Do you trust me?" She asks, even though she knows the answer, for if she had to put her life in anyone's hands, she knew Harry would see it safe, and she knows Harry would put his in hers, and she would defend it with everything she had.</p><p>"Of course," He responds, as though baffled she'd even ask, and she smiles.</p><p>"If there was a way, to go back, to stop all of this, to stop the battles, the war, Dumbledore, Sirius, Remus, Fred, everything, would you take it?"</p><p>For just a second Harry's brow furrows and he looks doubtful, not at if he would do it, she knows, but if it could be done but then he nods all the same.</p><p>"Absolutely" She nods and holds out her other hand for him, he hesitates to give her that look that she needs to explain because he feels he's missed something.</p><p>"Even if it meant we'd never see anyone we know again?" She asks, her voice has dropped to a whisper now, and she can feel the tears trickling down her cheeks, she can see them on his too as he understands, as it clicks.</p><p>"Yes" His voice is a whisper, and she gives a watery smile, of course he'd say yes, for the death of so many could be reversed … who wouldn't? She would, she'd join him, even if she doesn't have as much to gain, but then with Harry happy, she's happy, so maybe she does.</p><p>"Then take my hand" He does, without a second of hesitation now. "Repeat these words"</p><p>"<em>Ad initium revertar</em>" Her voice is a whisper again, but he catches it. He holds up his wand but pauses.</p><p>"Is it dangerous?" He asks then, the concern in his eyes is for her, not himself, selfless Harry who deserves so much more than life gave, and perhaps this would give it, perhaps this could give it.</p><p>"I don't know" She is honest, and she even laughs a little as she says it, "It's probably mad" At that Harry laughs a little too, and she thinks Ron would call them 'barmy'. At that she looks guiltily back at the Castle, and she can see Harry do the same when she turns back.</p><p>"He would" She says, "He shouldn't"</p><p>"No" Harry agrees, "He has stuff left to lose" Hermione nods, they are agreed, the third member of the trio, whom they love so much, who would drop it all to come with them on this mad quest, they can't ask him that, for he has a family here, he has loved ones. Harry's are dead, hers are as good as.</p><p>"Where did you find this?" He asks and she shrugs.</p><p>"In some book" She laughs again and so does he, "I don't even know if it works. The book said it needs an immense amount of power, it's never been tried"</p><p>"Ahh" He fingers the Elder Wand then and holds it aloft, "Well if this doesn't do it…"</p><p>"Exactly" She nods, so does Harry and then just a second passes between them, of understanding, of acceptance, that they'll do this, that they can do this, should do this, that this could fix all that had gone wrong.</p><p>"Okay" He clasps her hand hard, and she does the same, before a thought occurs to her.</p><p>"Wait" She steps forward, and Harry understands her immediately, they do that, they get each other like no one else does, he understands and wraps one arm around her waist, and she wrap hers around his neck, she does not want him going without her. "Okay, ready"</p><p>"Ready"</p><p>And then he's chanting, the words once, it doesn't work, so again, and again, he chants, ten or twelve times, and just as Hermione is about to step back, as his voice grows frustrated, as the tears slip down her cheeks again, on the 13th cast and swish of the wand they begin to glow.</p><p>"Oh god" She says, and she smiles in utter fear, and Harry does too, terrified and elated all at once, as they glow, gold, a brilliant gold, and Harry lowers his wand, wraps both arms around her waist, and curls into her, as she does him, as they hold onto one another, tightly, so tightly they almost become one, as the glow around them intensifies, brightens.</p><p>And then they are gone.</p>
<hr/><p>At least to the present students of Hogwarts, to the current they are very much present. Too present even as they appear with a thud, and a whip of air to land smack dab in the middle of the Great Hall of Hogwarts.</p><p>It is empty, dark, it must be night-time, and as she peers out the window, she can see it is, and yet this hall isn't broken and smashed like it should be. This hall doesn't have the pile of bodies, of those mourning, of the blood splashed on the walls.</p><p>She realises if it were daytime the hall would be full of students, the table fall. She glances to her left and see's the Gryffindor table, hell she can even make out a notch at the seat Ginny would usually sit at. All the same.</p><p>This hall is pristine, empty, the candles floating overhead not lit. The moon offers some light through the window, and Hermione lifts her wand, "Lumos" She hears Harry do the same, "Lumos".</p><p>"Did it work?" He asks and she shakes her head, she doesn't know, as they both come to stand, glance around, this room tells them nothing, except it must have worked in some way, this is the same hall but repaired, they must have gone back some, she's just not sure to <em>when</em>.</p><p>"When was it supposed to take us back to?" Harry asks, evidently on the same wavelength as her, which she appreciates, it can be tiring to constantly coming to the conclusions before everyone else, Harry is many things but slow is not one of them.</p><p>"To your start, your birth" She says with a nod, "I figured we could intervene somehow, stop him early, go from there" He nods then, and they take a step together as they hear the wind outside, it is eerie which hurts, Hogwarts has always felt like home, even in the middle of the war, she hopes that doesn't change now.</p><p>"Then why are we at Hogwarts" He asks, and she shrugs, before taking a step forward, Harry follows and he takes her hand, she smiles as she knots her fingers with his, they are in this together. For a second, she misses Ron, but it wouldn't have been fair to tell him what they intended to do, he would have come in a second, even though he had much more to lose, much more to sacrifice for this.</p><p>"I don't know" Harry shrugs then and they walk to the main doors, open which is odd, usually they shut at night, she had been involved in enough mischief with the man beside her to know that.</p><p>"I think we need to be careful, really careful" Harry says, and she nods, clutches his hand tighter and waves her wand. "Don't move from each other's sides"</p><p>"Agreed" They walk through the open door, and they are met with the same dark corridors and nothing seems to have changed, except that the Castle is intact, not smashed and half destroyed from the battle.</p><p>"It's weird" Harry says and she nods, it is weird, she felt they'd land in Hogwarts, but they'd be able to tell when it is, not in the middle of the night with the Castle the exact same as it had been pre-battle. It does not help, and she feels nerves curl in her stomach, Harry is right, they have to be extremely careful here.</p><p>"I know" She says, "I'm not sure what we do here" That was a rarity, Hermione coming up stump, but thankfully when Hermione couldn't find a plan guided by logic, Harry could certainly find one guided by bravery.</p><p>"Let's walk some more" He says, "Perhaps the portraits or ghosts can tell us something" That seems as good a plan as any and yet she pauses, holds her wand aloft for a moment.</p><p>"Tempus" The clock tells her it's 3am, and so the prefects have finished their rounds. There may be a teacher or two she knows, but they know enough secret passages and hidden alcoves to avoid them she's sure. Then she has an idea.</p><p>"Do you have your cloak?" Harry pats his pockets and grins as he pulls out the silvery material that has saved their asses more than once. Hermione grins then and he throws it over them. They have to crouch a little, but it's better than being out in the open.</p><p>She remembers a time when she, Harry and Ron fit under the cloak without needing to squat, she smiles a little then, ahh how they were as children, so unaware of what was to come, and yet also aware in a way children shouldn't be.</p><p>That was why she had suggested this, if Harry could be unburdened, if he could live without years more of expectation and pain … they had to try.</p><p>"It's weird to think I've got two of the hallows now" Harry whispered, and Hermione turned to look at him, she hadn't even realised that.</p><p>"It is weird" She said, because it is, and then they began to creep through the corridors, silent, holding the cloak over their heads, pressed to one another's sides, not speaking, barely breathing as they tried to figure out <em>when</em> they were.</p><p>Because the spell had clearly worked, this was a Hogwarts untouched by war.</p><p>But there was nothing that could tell them what year it was, what decade even. If the spell had gone right, they should be in 1980, she'd be almost a year old at this point, and Harry would be a new-born. And yet, nothing in the castle told them when it was, nothing at all. She'd always loved Hogwarts, the timelessness of it, but now the fact that the Castle never changed was downright inconvenient.</p><p>They walked through the corridors for a good ten minutes, keeping an eye out for ghosts, a delinquent student or a portrait awake and willing to talk. It was difficult, Hermione could see a few portraits missing here and there, the one of Sir Rigby being roasted by a hungry dragon, the three ladies dancing ballet whilst a centaur watched, the one of a barn owl looking ahead, all missing. Hermione noted them but their absence didn't offer answers.</p><p>"Harry we can't walk all night" Hermione hissed, she should probably feel more tired after the battle, but she is running on adrenaline now and feels wide awake, "What do we do?"</p><p>"Here" Harry whispered back before throwing off the cloak, and Hermione near shrieked at him if silence hadn't been important to keeping them safe. Instead she glared at him to which he grinned at her apologetically before turning to the painting of a one-eyed wizard, wide awake and glaring at them from one beady eye.</p><p>She loves Harry, she does, but he has always been far too reckless for his own good.</p><p>"Hello" Harry said, and Hermione offered a wave, the wizard seemed slightly mollified by that, though she still glared at Harry for being so foolish.</p><p>"Can you tell us what year it is?" The wizard rolled that one eye then and muttered something about stupid children and standards being stricter in his day.</p><p>"What was that?" Harry asked, for as often as Harry pushed his luck, he also got results, she resisted the urge to glare at him again and instead waited for a reply.</p><p>"It's 1975" He said with a dirty glare, and then went back to muttering about moronic children and no doubt they were Hufflepuffs.</p><p>Not that she or Harry heard a word of his grumblings as they turned back to one another, wide eyed and in horror. Her anger evaporated as the date the wizard had spoke sunk in, to both of them.</p><p>"Fuck" Harry said, and she nodded, for what else could be said beyond that? <em>Fuck indeed</em>.</p><p>They were six years early! They had meant to land at the moment of Harry's birth, giving them a short window to halt Voldemort, but also meant they wouldn't meddle with anything else. They were early, way too early, they weren't even born yet! Hermione couldn't even get her head around how every many paradoxes they were causing.</p><p>'<em>Terrible things happen to wizards who mess with time Harry, terrible things'</em></p><p>Hadn't she said that? Just four years earlier! How had she been wiser in her younger years than now! But then she remembered the hollow feeling in her stomach of the time they had left, so many dead, so many fallen and as she glanced at Harry, she could see he felt the same.</p><p>Sure, they had fucked up, <em>monumentally</em>, they had gone too far back and now goodness knows what they'd do … but in this time all those they loved were alive and well, there was no death, no destruction without hope in sight, no pain, no fear.</p><p>Sure, they would need to figure out what to do, and it wasn't perfect, but it was better than the loss, the pain, the crying they had left behind, the mourners and the dead. It was better.</p><p>"It's still worth it" Harry spoke her thought out loud and she nodded and took his hand again, gave him a smile, as tears clung to her lashes again, he was right, it was still worth it. He clenched her hand tightly and she smiled at him, yes, worth it.</p><p>"RUN!" She heard that scream, and her eyes wildly flew to the side, months of being on high alert, having her draw her wand, but she kept a hold of her best friends hand, in case they needed to run. Harry she could see went to do the same but being stood in front of her he saw something he didn't and quickly pulled her into the shadow of a nearby alcove, cloak over them as someone streaked past.</p><p>Her heart pounded as Harry threw the cloak over them, as they shoved their backs to the alcove, as she resisted the urge to throw a hex. They were strangers here, they could not be seen until they figured out what to do next, they had to be so careful.</p><p>And yet, Hermione would have gasped out loud in shock if Harry hadn't anticipated it and placed a hand over her mouth, as laughter filled the air, as four boys came into sight, clearly out of bed, causing mischief, laughing giddily as a teacher cursed them in the distance.</p><p>Her gasp was smothered by Harry as they both watched as James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew stopped just inches in front of them, laughing and wheezing, until a bang sounded down the corridor and they called out again.</p><p>"Keep running boys!" Harry's father yelled in mirth, as the rest laughed, Sirius in delight, Peter to be part of things and Remus in resignation, as they took off sprinting down the corridor, followed by a furious teacher she didn't recognise.</p><p>As they were gone she turned to Harry and she could see him looking on in awe, she smiled at him, and as confusing as it was, as now she had no idea what to do she was glad, and she pulled Harry close, and as soon as she did he tugged her into a hug, and she repeated his words back to him, warmth spreading through her in his embrace.</p><p>"Worth it"</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>sooo thoughts?</p><p>ahhh I freaking loved writing this! the ending made me squeal and I knew what was coming.</p><p>I do hope you enjoyed, pls lemme know if you did! subscribe for updates!</p><p>I'll address some logistical stuff in the next chapter too, so keep an eye out for that!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Hold</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>authorsnote: I know this took foreeeever to update I'm sorry, but pls enjoy. I am already loving this fic, but this is a complex one, hence slightly slower updates, my b.</p><p>pls subscribe if you enjoyed, and lemme know your thoughts! love? hate? mildly dislike? tell me!</p><p>also, had some questions about this: yes this is a harry/hermione pairing, and that is firm.</p><p>songrecs: seven - taylor swift</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>For a moment they stood just frozen, in awe, his hand still clapped over Hermione's mouth, his own open in shock. They stood silent as the Marauders fled from the scene of whatever prank they had pulled off, wheezing with laughter, as they were unaware two teenagers watched on, eyes wide, and in utter shock.</p><p>It was only when they were gone, followed by a furious teacher who looked like a relative of Sprout who soon disappeared from view did Harry drop his hand and manage to shut his jaw.</p><p>This was the first time out of some trick, or a mirror or in an apparition form he had seen his Father.</p><p>People were right when they said they looked just like one another. The same ruffle to their hair, the same smile, but he had only caught that from a snatched glance. He could see his father held himself with much more assurance, with a crooked smile Harry wasn't even sure how he'd go about achieving, and then of course the eyes, Harry had his mother's eyes.</p><p>That thought occurred to him then and he felt his heart stutter a little more … if his father was here, that meant his mother was too.</p><p>It was amazing, to see his father, and have the chance to see his mother, to know the parents that had been so cruelly snatched away from him. Harry was almost certain if he hadn't been so shocked by seeing his father, surrounded by his godfather and uncle in all but blood, he would have been in tears.</p><p>He was here, with them, he could interact with him, maybe have some sort of relationship … his parents, Remus, Sirius, all the people he'd loved and lost.</p><p>Life had been so unfair to him, and maybe by hurling them back further in the past than they'd planned it had thrown him a bone, a bit of good karma, that he now got to see his loved ones, happy and well, just as he had always dreamed they'd be.</p><p>Despite his shock he did feel tears bite at his eyes, and he scrubbed them away quickly as he released Hermione. Of course, he wanted nothing more than to march to Gryffindor tower, find his dad and mum and simply stare at them, but he knew he couldn't, no matter how tempting it was.</p><p>Instead he turned to Hermione and he could see she was smiling at him, as he did back to her once he caught her grin.</p><p>"It's really them" He said, as though needing to state it and his smile grew as Hermione nodded and slipped her hand into his.</p><p>"I know" And she did know, that was the thing about Hermione, she often knew what he was feeling when he didn't know himself. Just like when she was blinded by logic, he'd know her feelings deep down. They just knew one another, deeply, and he squeezed her hand as they stepped out of the alcove.</p><p>"I…" He pauses, what can he say? Already tears threaten again, this is everything he had ever wanted, to be with them, and yet how can he be? He doesn't know what to say or do.</p><p>"I know" She just repeats herself, and yet the words soothe him. That he can trust, Hermione always does know, that he can be sure about.</p><p>Hermione is one of the few things now he can be sure about, he knows her, she knows him, that is something to <em>always</em> be sure about.</p><p>"What do we do?" She asks then, and he pauses. Sure, Hermione is the one with the knowledge, but he is often the one with the plans. They fit in that way, and then Ron was always the one with the humour, the tension breaker.</p><p>Hermione stands to his right, hand clutching his, he glances to his left. He feels Ron's absence, but he knows they did the right thing. Ron has something left in the future they abandoned, he doesn't really have anything, Hermione too.</p><p>Here they can have <em>more</em>…he's just not sure how.</p><p>"Dumbledore?" He suggests. He still trusts the old wizard, completely. Yes, he made mistakes, yes, a lot of his decisions were questionable, but Harry still felt love for the man, the man who'd guided and lead him. Meeting him at Platform 9 ¾, in some version of the after life feels like a lifetime ago now, though he supposes it is years away now technically.</p><p>Ugh, he hates thinking about time travel, he can already feel a headache coming on from it.</p><p>"Is it wise to tell anyone?" Hermione asks and he see's her chew down on her lip, a common habit of hers when she is contemplative. He knows when he is in thought he paces, when she is, she bites her lip, it is just there quirks, there way.</p><p>They had each learning more about one another's '<em>ways'</em> during a year on the run than some people learnt about one another in a lifetime. Harry is sure out of all of the people in his life he knows Hermione best, with Ron in a close 2nd.</p><p>"You think we should keep it secret?" He asks in confusion, for he hadn't contemplated that. They'd come back for a reason, to save people, how can they do that without warning them?</p><p>"Well" Hermione bites her lip again, "Maybe we can tell Dumbledore" She nods then and Harry does too, Dumbledore has his faults, but if he were to trust anyone with this information it is him, "But other than that I think we should be careful, in case it gets to the wrong people"</p><p>He understands her meaning immediately, it is another way they are in synch, and something that developed between them during the horcrux hunt; the ability to pick up on what the other means. It had developed naturally, and now sometimes they can speak with few words.</p><p>It had annoyed the hell out of Ron and Harry smiles fondly then, he already misses his friend, and he knows Hermione does too, but again, Ron would have volunteered to come along in a second, and he had stuff to leave behind, Harry and Hermione had much, <em>much</em> less to lose.</p><p>"Agreed" He says, and she smiles then, he offers her one too.</p><p>"Shall we?" He nods, and they make their way.</p><p>It was time to see the headmaster again.</p><hr/><p>"Are you sure this is a good idea actually?" She asked.</p><p>They stood in front of Dumbledore's office, the same gnarled, twisted gargoyle in place. Of course, this time they did not know the password, though Harry had suggesting guessing Hermione had stopped him before they could move on.</p><p>"I mean… what if he doesn't believe us?" She bit down on her lip. In truth they hadn't really thought this through, they'd realised a chance to go to the past, to maybe, just maybe have an opportunity to fix things, but they hadn't considered … well, they hadn't considered what they'd do if it worked.</p><p>She scolded herself internally for that, she always thought of everything! And yet in the haze of the post-war Hogwarts, she had only thought of not living in a world with so much death and destruction, she hadn't thought what to do if they made it to that world.</p><p>And it had been a big if! She was surprised the spell had worked in truth, it was complex magic, requiring quite a lot of power, but she knew, Harry had power in spades, fuelled by the Elder Wand and with hers mixed in, as well as their extremely focused intent, she should have realised it would work, and perhaps held off to plan.</p><p>And yet, she remembered Harry's smile as he had seen his smile, and her own happiness at seeing Remus and Sirius so happy … it had been worth it, regardless of the jam they were stuck in now.</p><p>"He will" Harry said with such certainty, and she admired him for that, she had always admired his ability to be sure in himself, even when others weren't, and so at his determined expression she nodded.</p><p>She trusted Harry, with her life, always.</p><p>And so, she placed her hand in his, gave it a squeeze, and took a deep breath. She would follow him, <em>always</em>.</p><p>"Lemon drops" Harry tried, and she was hardly surprised when the gargoyle immediately sprung to one side. Huh, well at least they knew Dumbledore hadn't been so different in the past. She glanced at Harry then and he grinned at her as she rolled her eyes, smiling at the same time. Well, that should help convince him.</p><p>"Ready?" He asked, giving her hand a squeeze this time, and she nodded, as they both turned straight, and made their way up to see Dumbledore.</p><hr/><p>He was a little nervous in truth, he knew Dumbledore of the present, not the man of the past. He knew the headmaster would believe them, he was sure of it, but that did not quell his nerves.</p><p>He was also excited, alongside nervous. Dumbledore's death had been one of the worst for him, for Dumbledore had truly been like a substitute parent, perhaps a grandparent figure. Harry loved him, looked up to him, respected him, his death had been awful, especially as Harry had only been able to watch, crippled, unable to stop it.</p><p>He paused just outside the door, took a moment, he needed to act normal, not fall to the urge to hug the man who'd supported him, not now said man had no idea who he was.</p><p>"It will be okay Harry" Hermione said with a smile, and Harry nodded. He trusted Hermione, if she said it was going to be okay, it would be.</p><p>Thank god she was here with him; he knew he couldn't do it alone.</p><p>He had always been close with Hermione, but during their time horcrux hunting together they had grown closer, much closer. Particularly with Ron gone, Hermione had found a special place in his heart that no others kept. She was his best friend, soulmate in almost every sense of the word.</p><p>If she said it would be okay, it would be, and so with a nod, he stepped forward and pushed the door open.</p><p>The office looked the same, with fewer trinkets, and was a little better organised but it was so familiar that Harry almost believed they'd been transported back into the future. It was nice to see it like this again, but what was better was the man sat behind the desk, sipping a cup of tea, bag of lemon drops in front of him, Fawkes trilling on his perch to the side.</p><p>Dumbledore.</p><p>It was him, a little younger (though still very bearded), and a little different, but it was Dumbledore all the same. Harry smiled, and went to open his mouth to speak, but of course the old wizard beat them too it.</p><p>"Now, I am intrigued as to how you got in when I do not remember giving either of you the password" Dumbledore placed down his tea then, and turned to them, looking over at them over his half moon specs. The sight of those blue eyes near had Harry shaking… this was the man he considered to be a guardian to him, someone he loved, and he had no idea who he was. It was bittersweet, but more the latter, that here Dumbledore was alive.</p><p>Harry knew he'd need to accept no one here would know him or Hermione, but also to appreciate that it was worth it, to see them alive and well, it was worth it.</p><p>"I must assume then that you found some ingenious way to get past my guard, or perhaps something more interesting? Perhaps you just know of my love of lemon drops?" Dumbledore said with a little smile, as he interlocked his fingers and continued to look over at them, "Please do tell me, I am truly curious, which is rare for me nowadays"</p><p>"I…" Harry began, but he couldn't find the words, not easily, not when looking across at the man who had been everything to him before his death, who had been a parent, grandparent, mentor, advisor, general … <em>everything</em>. He was tongue tied.</p><p>"We're from the future" He blurted out, and he could practically <em>feel</em> Hermione roll her eyes. Not particularly nuanced nor subtle, but it got the job done he supposed, and they had agreed to tell Dumbledore, still he knew Hermione was rolling her eyes at him.</p><p>Of course, Dumbledore just raised an eyebrow, didn't gasp in shock or disbelief, but then that was the man Harry knew, hell he could see the twinkle in the man's eye, and that made him feel a little better, Dumbledore couldn't be shaken, he was a mountain, stone, unshaken.</p><p>The past may be different, but some things remained the same.</p><p>"How intriguing" The headmaster said, standing from his desk then, his robes a particularly eye watering shade of fuchsia, again some things didn't change. "What year?" He asked, in the tone of a man enquiring about the weather, not what year two time travellers who now stood in his office had come from.</p><p>"1998" Hermione spoke up then, "It was May … I think" She nodded then, "Maybe late April" He couldn't remember the month either, the horcrux hunt had blended from days, to weeks, to months, it had been hard to keep track.</p><p>"Hmm" Dumbledore said, and walked around the desk to stand in front of them, hands folded, that twinkle still in place, no hint of confusion or disbelief on his features, the man could be impossible to read.</p><p>"Did you come back accidently?" Harry felt that better that clearly the headmaster believed them, he didn't question that they had come back, just the details … perhaps this would be simpler than he had worried.</p><p>"No"</p><p>"Yes"</p><p>They speak at the same time and Dumbledore has that amused twinkle in his eye again, Harry hadn't quite realised how much he had missed it until he sees it now.</p><p>"Well then" Dumbledore says with a small smile, "It is late, why don't we leave this story until tomorrow?"</p><p>Harry nodded, thankful for the reprieve, as does Hermione at his side, squeezes his hand to make sure he agrees. He wants to roll his eyes at her, but he knows she is often his impulse control and so understands the motion.</p><p>"I presume you attended this school?" Dumbledore questions, and this time he lets Hermione take over.</p><p>"Yes sir" She says with a nod, "We were 6th years" Not true, but also technically their last year at Hogwarts was their 6th he supposes, "Gryffindor"</p><p>"Indeed" Dumbledore says, and he seems cheerful to hear it, "I presume only the boldest and bravest would take part in time travel" He can see Hermione blush, as she often does under praise, and he grins, as Dumbledore nods again.</p><p>"Now since you know the way to the tower I implore you to go to there" Dumbledore nods, "We have a spare dormitory in every house, just in case, just climb to the 8th floor of the dormitories and you'll find a spare space with several beds, take the boys staircase"</p><p>"Meet me here tomorrow at 10 sharp, you both look like you could use the sleep, and then we shall discuss your …situation" He notes, and Harry nods, they could use the rest, and as soon as Dumbledore speaks of sleep he feels as exhausted as he possibly could, all at once.</p><p>"Now off you go, the password for the tower is <em>'Frogs Legs' </em>now get some rest" He shoos them, and Harry nods, as does Hermione, and soon they are leaving the office, and making for Gryffindor tower, as he had many times before.</p><p>They continue to hold onto one another.</p><p>As pleased Harry is to have this opportunity, he feels a little nervous, though he knows without Hermione by his side he'd be worse. Still, it is an odd opportunity few had, had.</p><p>Though, he notes, this is the 2nd time he's travelled through time, both with Hermione, he wonders how many people across history have travelled through time twice, it can't be many.</p><p>"Okay, so let's sleep" Hermione speaks, unaware of his nerves, though when she glances at him she smiles and offers him a squeeze, "Then come morning we'll talk through what to tell Dumbledore" She nods, "Because yes we can tell the truth, but lets get the most important facts together" He nods then, she's right, they don't need to blurt out 20 years of the future, just the important stuff.</p><p>They reach Gryffindor Tower and repeat the password. Harry is relieved to see once they step inside it is nearly exactly the same.</p><p>Same squishy chairs and sofa, red and gold print, same table in the corner, same lion banner on the wall. He can see the chip on the fireplace they'd always speculated about, can see the bookcases that hold older editions of the same textbooks they'd studied, the large window still offers a view to the grounds. He grins then, and when he turns to Hermione she's smiling too.</p><p>"Feels like <em>home</em>" He can hear the reverence in his tone, and Hermione nods, her eyes filled with that same emotion.</p><p>"Because it is" He squeezes her hand then, and pulls her into a hug, to him it had always been home, but now? Now it is both their homes.</p><p>They hold onto one another for a moment, and then they climb the steps to the dormitory. It takes a little while to get to the 8th floor, but once there the dormitory is the same as all the others.</p><p>He glances in the trunks at the end of the bed to find basic but thankfully clean clothes, robes, towels, and shoes. He appreciates the forethought, for they are dressed like muggles, dirty ones at that, it is nice to have something to change into.</p><p>As always Dumbledore thinks of everything.</p><p>"Right" Hermione nods, "I'm going to shower" An ensuite shower set peels off the dormitory, "Then bed" Harry nods, he plans to do the same.</p><p>Hermione is quick, and then he goes in and takes even less time. Once he comes back, she's dressed in Gryffindor pyjamas, and has laid a set out for him. Quickly he changes whilst Hermione turns her back, and then they are ready for bed.</p><p>"Sleep next to me?" Often during their time in the tent, they had cuddled for warmth, or slept in the same bed just to be close in case something happened. Harry is glad Hermione asked, for if she hadn't, he would have.</p><p>They are in a new time, he doesn't want to let her out of his <em>sight</em>, not for a little while, not until this feels normal.</p><p>But it is more than that … the idea of sleeping alone, after so long with Hermione curled by his side, it fills him with worry. For himself, for her. He knows its some kind of paranoia perhaps, but sometimes it is healthy to worry, even in Gryffindor Tower bad things can happen, he doesn't want Hermione out of his sight.</p><p>And, by asking, he knows Hermione feels the same.</p><p>"Of course," She offers him a smile, and then she climbs into bed, and he gets in next to her. The quilt is warm, chasing away some cold in the room, the pillows are thick, and Harry immediately feels as though he could sleep forever.</p><p>"Night Harry" She says with a smile, and he nods, a little smile on his face too.</p><p>"Night Hermione"</p><p>They are asleep before they can say another word, curled into one another, in Gryffindor Tower. It could be 1998, not 20 years earlier.</p><p>But it is 20 years earlier, as the two curl around one another, fast asleep, as the night turns to morning, dawn breaks, and a new day in the past begins.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>sooo thoughts?</p><p>did you enjoy? I hope so! I love, love, love this pairing, but pls remember it is slow burn! our couple is gunna take a while!</p><p>also, just a note, theres no ron/dumbledore bashing in this story, will I point out realistic flaws? absolutely! will I hate on them for no reason? absolutely not!</p><p>I do hope you enjoyed, subscribe for updates, comment your thoughts. </p><p>speak soon</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Explain</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>little late but don't judge, new job, new hustle, lots of hours!</p><p>anywho, I do hope you enjoy, I am loving writing this story, coming up with the twists and plans is so exciting!</p><p>pls let me know what you think, and do enjoy!</p><p>songrecs: warm blood - carly rae jepsen</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Morning comes and the alarm charm she'd placed on her wand rings insistently as 8:30am dawns. Normally she wouldn't sleep in so late, out of bed and ready to go at 7, but they've been on the run for months, and time travelled 15 years last night, she figures they deserve a little extra sleep.</p><p>Even at 8:30am, an hour after her usual wakeup time she feels as though she could sleep for another week, <em>maybe</em> two.</p><p>Running for months, fighting for their lives, tortured and tormented, drained, never eating enough, never getting enough sleep. Always anxious, looking over their shoulders, constantly on the edge … all combined makes a person certainly tired, but take all of that away abruptly? It makes a person <em>exhausted</em>.</p><p>So even as she waved her fingers on the alarm to wandlessley turn it off, she should allow herself a few more minutes as she sleepily begins to wake.</p><p>She feels warm, so warm, and that alone is odd. Even with endless warming charms cast in their tent the nights had always been freezing. Even when she had worn two jumpers to bed, huddled up with Harry and spelled her pretty blue flames to burn all night there had still been a chill that <em>nothing</em> could penetrate. But now? She feels warm.</p><p>She's not sure if it is because she feels safer for the first time in months (safe, not safer, after all this world, way back in 1975 is not Voldemort free either, well not yet), or because she is at Hogwarts but she feels truly warm, and it feels amazing.</p><p>It could also be that she is pressed into her best friends' chest as though they are trying to fuse themselves to one another, but then that isn't something new.</p><p>The first night after Ron had left, Harry had practically rocked her to sleep, and they'd fallen asleep side by side. They'd woken up with Harry's arm slung across her waist, and her nose touching his collarbone. They'd blushed, and been embarrassed, but it was also the best night's sleep either of them had, had in months, even with the sadness of Ron leaving hanging over them like an awful dark cloud, and so it had been hard to be embarrassed by it when it had felt so good.</p><p>Each night after they'd snuggled up together, and always woke up intimately close. Harry spooning her, she holding onto him. Hands on skin, legs tucked between legs, even once or twice there had been awkward morning wood. And yet they had grown used to it.</p><p>If there is one thing, she can no longer feel with Harry it is shame. They are too close for that, that had developed after Ron had left, when she had sobbed in his arms and he in hers, when he had confided his worries to her and she had stroked his hair as he slept, when he had stroked down her back to help her sleep and had held her hand as they walked. It was platonic still, but it had driven a closeness between them that was still present now.</p><p>A closeness that would likely never be broken.</p><p>And so she allows herself a few more minutes, and notes as she looks up at her best friend he hasn't so much as stirred, which surprises her, usually Harry is a light sleeper, but she guesses he feels safe here at Hogwarts, his first home.</p><p>And their only home now.</p><p>She thinks back to the present (that is a brain twister), and all they left behind, truthfully other than Ron (which hurts, but not as much as it should, she loves Ron, but he had left them once, it made it easier for them to leave him), they don't have much left. So many dead, she will miss people, the Weasley's, Luna, all the Order that made it, but not enough to stay.</p><p>Not if leaving means getting everyone back, even if not quite in the way they want. It is still worth it.</p><p>She does think of her parents.</p><p>They haven't had her yet in this time, but in the future? They were happy in Australia, set up a little dental practice, and had even started to look into adopting a child. She had looked in on them just once before the battle had began to rage, and they had seemed happy. It made it easier to leave them, but it still hurts.</p><p>She is like Harry now, an orphan. In this time, they only have each other, but for her that is enough. Once it hadn't been but now? Now if it is just her and Harry against the world, taking Voldemort down early, settling into this life she'll accept it, because at least they have each other.</p><p>Minutes pass and as tired as she is she knows she is awake now and so she forces herself out of the comfort of bed and Harry awakes as she nudges her way out of his arms and to get up. She knows they need to get their story straight, eat their first proper meal in months and get ready for the day. She can't sleep anymore, exhausted but alert now, but she has to resist the urge to curl into bed with a book.</p><p>That is the first thing she is doing when everything with Dumbledore is sorted, that she decides. She wants to sit in a comfy chair, with Harry by her side, she'll read a book on charms or wandlore, Harry will read a book on quidditch, they'll stuff themselves full of food and sit in the warmth. It's simple, but it feels like a luxury, and it will be.</p><p>She smiles as she imagines that and rouses herself to go to the bathroom. She nudges Harry again as she pulls herself to stand, and he gives her a sleepy smile as his eyes flutter open.</p><p>"Time?" He asks, and she allows herself a little grim, that is always the first word he says as he wakes, as he slips on his glasses.</p><p>"8:35" She replies before grabbing a towel, "Shall we order breakfast from the kitchens, figure out what we'll tell Dumbledore and then head out?" He nods, she does too before heading to the shower, the image of that comfy scene with Harry in her mind as she steps into the warm water.</p><p>It is good to feel warm.</p><hr/><p>An hour and a bit later they've eaten breakfast, dressed in clothes that for the first time in over a year aren't splashed with blood, grime and potions, and are making their way through the corridors. The uniforms are the exact same as they had been in the future, not one thing changed, the only difference being that her conservative skirt length is a actually bit short for this era, and she quickly hikes it down a little more.</p><p>They are clean, comfortable, and marching their way over to Dumbledore's office. It is time to tell the Headmaster the truth.</p><p>Well …<em> a version</em> of the truth.</p><p>Hermione knew Harry still trusted Dumbledore completely, and Hermione did too, just not <em>so</em> completely. She still admires him, and will put her faith in him, but she also knows he lined them all up like chess pieces, readied them for war, sharpened them to a point and threw them at the enemy.</p><p>'<em>For the greater good'</em></p><p>Harry may still have complete faith in their Headmaster, but hers has failed a little.</p><p>And so, she'd convinced Harry; tell him about the future, but no specifics. Tell the story but nothing that could potentially mess things up. He'd agreed, and then basically suggested she do most of the talking, she has no problem with that, she will explain their story. She knows they'll need to tell Dumbledore a general outline, but she can't get into anything specific, not only does it break every rule of time travel, but again she doesn't quite trust the Headmaster as completely as she did before, she can't.</p><p>So, they make it to the Headmaster's office, and honestly, she just thinks of going back to their shared room, opening a book, and doing nothing else. She thinks of being warm, full, comfortable, and that allows her to steel herself as they reach Dumbledore's office. Allows her to nod her head at her best friend, recite the password and make their way up.</p><p>Just a few hours, and then they could have that moment of comfort. That is what she holds onto as they ascend to his office, the old Headmaster waves them in and she prepares to reveal how they'd come to be here.</p><hr/><p>Harry knew he'd been correct in letting Hermione do the talking. He can admit he is too blunt, too direct, and in this instance, they need to be vague.</p><p>He trusts Dumbledore, the man will always be a parental figure to him. Can he acknowledge the old wizard had failed him? Yes. Does it make him love him any less? No. He can see that Dumbledore failed him in many areas, but he will always love him, and honour him as the Headmaster. And so, when Hermione had suggested not telling him anything, he'd frowned but gone along with it.</p><p>He'd learned particularly over the past few months that going along with Hermione was often the easiest and best way of doing things.</p><p>Yes, he is usually the one to come up with the plans, the one to think of the way forward, but where he comes up with the initial plan, that first idea, Hermione is the one to strengthen it, to look at it from a logical perspective and make it work. He'll say they need to wipe the Death Eater's memories, she'll use Obliviate. He'll scream for them to jump on a dragons back to escape Gringotts, she'll sever the chain holding it down. He suggests confiding in Dumbledore, she'll navigate the hazy waters of doing so whilst not breaking <em>too many</em> laws of time travel.</p><p>In that sense they make a good team. They are just missing Ron, Ron to offer knowledge on the wizarding world they might miss, Ron to nod his head and crack a joke to lighten the mood. <em>Ron</em>. Harry doesn't want to think about him too much, he misses him, but he knows leaving him behind was the right decision.</p><p>Harry has been an orphan for as long as he can remember, Hermione is one now too, but Ron has a family and Harry could never let him leave them behind. Ron would have he knows, would have looked torn but nodded his head and gone with them, Harry couldn't let that happen, and so he feels a pang for his best friend but knows he's made the right choice.</p><p>He feels a pain in his leg then and almost complains until he realises Hermione has kicked him to move forwards as Dumbledore waves them in. It is odd seeing their old Headmaster looking a little younger and not knowing them, it hurts a little, but he follows Hermione inside, takes a seat and then turns to her, now they must focus on the task at hand, and that is this meeting with Hermione. She'll do the talking.</p><p>"So" Dumbledore starts though, which makes sense, he has always been the main in charge, "Do tell me your story"</p><p>"Well" Hermione begins, "We're from the future as we said yesterday" She nods, and he can see she might start babbling, always a sign she is nervous, Harry on instinct leans over, takes her hand and she smiles, he'll support her.</p><p>Over the past few months, after Ron left, they supported one another. Held one another, warmed one another, comforted one another. He had always considered Ron his closest friend before, but he knows now it has shifted. He still sees Ron as a brother, a best friend, but not <em>his</em> best friend, no that spot belongs to Hermione now.</p><p>She stood with him through thick and thin, she <em>earned</em> that spot, and he knows he earned his as hers.</p><p>"And…" Hermione starts up again, her fingers twinning with his now, for comfort, but she doesn't make it very far.</p><p>"I'll stop you right there" Dumbledore says, and Harry realises how much he's missed the twinkle in the old Headmasters eye, and the smile of kindness he has now. Missed it dearly. "I don't want to know another thing"</p><p>"Wait what?" Harry speaks then, snapped out of his misty-eyed look that he'd had when looking at his mentor, what? "Why?" Now he's focused on said old Headmaster denying wanting to know their story.</p><p>"Because young man, time travel!" He exclaims raising his hands in the air, <em>ahh,</em> Harry had forgotten the eccentric side of the Headmaster that still made him feel a little watery eyed, but god was annoying as hell at the same time, the Headmaster could be more often than not wise and safe, but along with those came his tendency to be cryptic, which was beyond irritating, "We do not meddle with time" He nodded his head then at the timeturner concealed under Hermione's shirt collar, as though he knew it was there, "As you should know"</p><p>"I do know" Harry raises his eyebrows then, anyone challenging Hermione on her knowledge surely wants an early death, though he watches his best friend blush then, "Sir, I mean I do know Sir" Of course, few can challenge her intelligence, but with the Headmaster? She has to accept it, "But this is a unique situation" She is also unfailing polite to authority figures, a trait they do not share in common.</p><p>"It is a situation of time travel" He exclaims again, shaking his head, "Unique? Yes. Exempt to the rules? Absolutely not!" He said almost in declaration. Harry can see where this is going and as Hermione opens her mouth, he squeezes her hand. He has more experience with Dumbledore to know he is not one to be swayed when certain of something, or rather you can try but spend several hours <em>attempting</em> only for no results. If the Headmaster has decided something well then, it has been decided.</p><p>"So…" Harry speaks then, for Hermione surely would continue to argue the point, he feels she often can't help herself, SPEW being one example, "What do we do?"</p><p>"Whatever you came here to do!" Dumbledore says with a nod, "You may stay in Gryffindor Tower, in the extra room, we will give you a backstory of homeschooled students, you may integrate and do what you came to do!" He nods, "But you will not inform me, no, no"</p><p>"Don't you want to know?" Harry feels a little baffled, Dumbledore had always had a thirst for knowledge, what has changed? This is odd.</p><p>"Of course I do" The Headmaster said with a nod, and a little smile as though himself annoyed he wouldn't know what two time travellers were up to, "But, we must not meddle with time! If you need my help on general matters I am more than happy to assist, but I cannot help with particulars for that is for you two alone to work out"</p><p>"Now" Dumbledore nodded again, "Head back to the Tower, lessons start on Monday for you both, come up with your backstory, I will have time tables and uniforms sent up, ask the House Elves for anything else you might need, and tomorrow you may go Diagon Alley for supplies. What year would you both like to enter?"</p><p>"Errr 5th" Hermione blurts out, far quicker at the math than him. He nods then too and Dumbledore does as well, though he smiles a little, clearly suspicious.</p><p>"Good?" Harry opened his mouth then at the Headmasters word, this was going too fast, they had more to talk about! They needed to discuss all sorts of things! He looks at Hermione who looks slightly panicked as well, they have more they need to talk about, but it seems not, "Good" Dumbledore spoke again and nodded, standing to usher them out now, conversation evidently over.</p><p>Not 10 minutes with the Headmaster and they were back outside, in the corridor on a Hogwarts Saturday morning, feeling thoroughly as though they'd been hit by a whirlwind.</p><p>"Well that didn't go as planned" Harry nodded, and he could practically feel Hermione roll her eyes. That almost made him smile, if he didn't feel so dumbstruck that their <em>one</em> hopeful ally in this time had apparently given their blessing for them to meddle and would set them up here, but also didn't want to know their plans or help them with them.</p><p>"Obviously" Hermione said sarcastically, "Come on lets go back to the Tower and figure out this mess" Harry nodded then, realising to himself perhaps they had one or two more other allies, perhaps more than that. It would be too early to see anyone now as they made their way back to Gryffindor tower, but he hoped perhaps they could have other allies in this time, allies he'd never had a chance to know before now.</p><p>That was after all why they'd come back.</p><p>"Let's order some more food, get warm and then think on a plan" He nodded again, as they reached the Tower, gave the password, and stepped inside. He found himself yawning as he did so, time travel apparently was exhausting, or perhaps it was the months of war, either way, he wanted some time to sleep, or just sit and do nothing before the inevitable planning started.</p><p>"Sounds good to me, lets head upstairs" Harry said, and smiled at his best friend who looked a little frazzled. He took her hand again and was relieved to see her smile. This was a bump in the road, perhaps more like a mountain, but they'd get through it, that he was confident in, they would, after all they had one another. With Hermione, his best friend, by his side he was endlessly confident in what they could do.</p><p>She was the only one who made him feel like that, perhaps because she'd believed in him long before others had, perhaps because she'd <em>always</em> stood by his side, he wasn't sure, but she inspired a confidence in him no others had.</p><p>"Head where?" Another voice interrupted them then and Harry turned. He heard Hermione gasp quietly next to him as he turned to see the source of the voice and would have gasped himself had he not instead frozen in shock.</p><p><em>Fight or flight</em> right? That was the usual reaction to a shock. Clearly in this instance he was instead <em>freeze</em>.</p><p>"You shouldn't be sharing a dorm, and I don't think I've seen either of you before, who are you?" Standing in front of them with a shiny Prefect badge attached to her uniform, her large green eyes that matched his staring at him, her long red hair falling past her shoulder, there stood Lily Potter, his <em>mother</em>, alive in front of him, not a spirit, spectre, ghost or memory for the first time.</p><p>His mother.</p><p>Perhaps it wasn't fight, flight or freeze, but <em>faint</em>, because he felt like he might. It was only Hermione's iron grip on his hand that kept him standing as he looked across at his mother.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>soo thoughts?</p><p>ahhh I am so hype about this! so excited.</p><p>don't worry, we will get more marauder/lily interaction as time goes on, for now it is a little lighter.</p><p>also I've had some people ask but just to clarify this fic is firmly harry/hermione.</p><p>pls lemme know your thoughts. subscribe for updates!</p><p>speak soon</p>
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<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Story</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>ahh, I suck at updating! there goes my plan to update everything before the end of 2020 (though that was might optomisitc of me), please excuse my lateness on being mad busy at work! and please take this chapter as an apology!</p><p>as always pls enjoy, let me know what you think!</p><p>songrecs: if I can't have you - shawn mendes (fuck this song like encapsulates this fic)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Lily!"</p><p>He couldn't hear properly, it was like his head was submerged under water, like someone had cast a muffliato charm near him and he'd been caught in the effect. It was as though people were talking slower, that the air around him had changed.</p><p>He would have fainted, hit the floor and lolled over if not for Hermione gripping his hand hard, even stepping closer to loop her arm through his and grip him, her fingernails digging into him. It hurt a little but wasn't enough to bring him back to himself.</p><p>Not with his <em>Mother</em> stood in front of him.</p><p>Someone he'd only seen as a spirit, standing by his side, someone he'd only seen swirling in a mist of gold, or in the memories the Dementors had forced upon him. His Mother, who'd thrown herself in front of the killing curse to protect him, his Mother who had walked with him to death, his Mother who more than any else he had hoped to see at the other side.</p><p>"Lily!" The voice yelled again, but to Harry it was a distant cry.</p><p>"Alright" His Mother yelled back, her fiery red hair quivering a little as she turned back to them, the eyes that matched his – people hadn't been lying, they were a <em>perfect</em> match. In fact, perhaps she could see it too as she narrowed her eyes at him in suspicion.</p><p>"I'll talk to you two later" She said, though he noticed her glare had changed a little as she looked at him now, near ignoring Hermione, and instead she looked a little curious, confused even, but her friend yelled a third time and she rolled her eyes, and turned away from them and stomped off.</p><p>"Yes Marlene!" He heard her yell, "I'm coming!" But again it was as though he was under water, he couldn't hear properly, see properly, feel properly, not as Lily Potter <em>nee</em> Evans was walking away from him, though glanced back, still looking a little confused as she looked at him, her green eyes meeting his.</p><p>A <em>perfect</em> match.</p><p>He didn't really take notice or wrench his eyes from her, even as she made for the common room door, he didn't look away even as he felt himself being pulled, tugged up the stairs, an iron grip on his arm, yanking him away from the corridor. He still felt that odd sensation of not really taking anything in, how could he?</p><p>Seeing his Father had been one thing, seeing James Potter alive and well had been a delight, as well as Sirius and Remus, seeing them together, laughing, carefree, had been something to make him feel as though he might split his cheeks from smiling, he had wanted to run over, hug them, join them, bask in the joy of them being here and alive.</p><p>He wanted to run the corridors with them, laugh and swap stories, hug them until his arms hurt, of course.</p><p>But with his Mother it was <em>different</em>.</p><p>He could feel it in his bones as he looked at her, she was his Mother. The woman who had given him everything but been torn away from him too soon, the woman who had given him life, who had given him her life. Could she could feel something about him? Could she sense that connection? Yhat even though he was technically older than her now (boy that was strange), could she sense her son stood in front of her, her flesh and blood. He wonders if she can sense it, instinct and all.</p><p>"Harry!" He becomes aware then of Hermione talking, though again her voice is muffled. She shakes him, once, twice, "Harry!" Still muffled, his mind is not here, on his best friend trying to talk to him, it is filled with the image of Lily Evans, and the green eyes that so matched his.</p><p>That is until he feels himself shocked back to the present by a torrent of <em>freezing</em> water.</p><p>He splutters and coughs, "Jeez Hermione" He says as he is dried as quickly as he was soaked, and he can see now, back in the moment with Hermione stood in front of him rolling her eyes.</p><p>He realises sat where he is she has dragged him upstairs, into their little room, at the top of the tower. He glances past her, at the window, and what looks out, they are so high up… high above the clouds almost.</p><p>For some reason he is reminded of when he rode the dragon and Buckbeak, flying high…</p><p>"Sorry Harry" Though frankly she didn't look very sorry, "But you were completely out of it"</p><p>"I know" He does know, and as Hermione takes a seat next to him and tucks her arm in his he shuffles a little closer to her, "It was her"</p><p>"I know" She repeats his words, nods her head as she settles it on his shoulder, and he places his on hers. Comfort, companionship, something they had offered one another in the darkest of times, and now here, in the strangest of times.</p><p>They had been through so much together, trials and hardships, and yet had managed to come out the other side … <em>somehow</em>.</p><p>"It was her" He can't quite get over it, his Mother, here, alive. Of course when he had seen his Father alive and well he had thought of his Mother too, but now? Seeing it in reality? It is hard to take in, and he was sure he would be on the floor if Hermione were not gripping him, holding him tightly and steadfast, like an anchor.</p><p>"I know" She says again, and they just grip one another a little tighter, a little closer.</p><p>It feels like they sit that way for hours, when really it is only minutes. But he clings to her, and she to him, neither of them comment the wet drops that cling to his lashes, or how the look of awe never quite leaves his face.</p><p>This reminds him of Christmas … last Christmas now he thinks of it, when they had stood, just the two of them, at his parents grave, James Potter and Lily Evans, how he'd stood with Hermione, her head tucked into the crook of his shoulder as it was now, as he'd stood at his parents resting place for the first time, as she'd conjured that wreath to honour them, as he had cried, as she had held him, as they had held one another.</p><p>Held one another up, like they always did, like they always would.</p><p>"What do we do?" It is Hermione who asks then, and Harry turned to her, with a small smile, Hermione so smart, so bright, but he was the planner of the two, somehow.</p><p>"Going forward? Integrate ourselves I guess, try to become part of the Order, prevent stuff before it can happen?" She nods, so does he, what else can they do? He was sure neither of them had thought the time-travel spell would work.</p><p>It had been in the wake of the battle, grieving, hurting, neither of them had been thinking ahead, just thinking of a way to stop such destruction, such pain, from ever happening.</p><p>Well … they had succeeded, and now they had to think what came ahead.</p><p>"Okay" She nods, and he smiled at her, before she was standing, "And now?" She didn't pause but instead answered her own question, so very Hermione, and he loved it, "Now we should relax, catch up on some relaxation, read, and then tomorrow to Diagon for supplies, and then planning, but for now, relax"</p><p>He nodded at that, and smiled to himself as she began to reach into her beaded bag, pulling out clothes, books, supplies, things that didn't need to be on her at all times, and began to unpack, and Harry, found himself smiling, somehow smiling as they began to tuck away clothes, books and such into the trunk at the end of one of the beds. It was a boring task, but it was peaceful after so much chaos.</p><p>"Here" Hermione said passing him his backpack, "Keep your important things in there, I'll do the same with my bag, but this…" She glanced around then, and he found himself doing the same, "This is home now I guess"</p><p>He took a second to look around the room, it had two double beds, though he knew they'd just share one. Two trunks, but again they kept their stuff together. A room off to a bathroom, two desks, a cabinet. It was round, being at the top of the tower, with two big windows.</p><p>It was perfect, and he found himself almost like a child marvelling at the Castle again, at Hogwarts, giving them just what they needed.</p><p>'<em>Help will always be given at Hogwarts to those who ask for it</em></p><p>He had found that now so often to be true.</p><p>"Here" A quidditch book was thrust into his hands, and with a smile he climbed onto the bed, made no protest as Hermione climbed in next to him, and for the first time in a very, very long time he felt himself relax, not to sleep, not to catch some hours in between madness, but to <em>actually</em> relax, to read a book on quidditch that he'd read before, as he noticed Hermione reading a book on Charms he knew she'd read before, it didn't matter, it was just calm.</p><p>It was just a moment to relax, for both of them.</p><p>And it was absolutely perfect.</p><hr/><p>She felt so at ease, reading over complex happiness charms that she hadn't quite perfected before but no doubt would, she felt relaxed, comfortable, as she'd ended up leaning back against the pillows, her head resting slightly on Harry's shoulder, as he too seemed absorbed in his quidditch book, his head slightly resting atop of hers, their preferred position, relaxing on one another.</p><p>It wasn't that either of them found the material that stimulating, it was just being able to relax, not looking over their shoulder, not scared or exhausted.</p><p>God, such a small pleasure and yet it was so rare to them now, it felt amazing.</p><p>It was bliss … a short-lived bliss though.</p><p>A yell from the common room below them made her jump, and Harry was on his feet, as was she, wands out, eyes on the door, what had happened?</p><p>"Start of the year paaaarty!" She heard yelled, followed by some shrieking and loud cheers, and with a small sigh she lowered her wand, as she noticed Harry do the same, she turned to glance at him and let out a small laugh.</p><p>Paranoia was perhaps not strong enough a word in this instance, but she supposed running from a mad-man for the better part of a year had them both on edge, and would have them.</p><p>"Well" Hermione said, and Harry laughed too then, and she rolled her eyes – she imagined it would be a little while before they were so jumpy, after all, the battle they had endured was tens of years in the future now, but to them it had only been the night before. She knew even after a good nights sleep they both still had dark circles under their eyes, were both still a little too thin, both jumpy and a little nervous.</p><p>"Should we go?" At that Hermione shot him a look, because surely he had to be joking?</p><p>"What?" He laughed again then, and she did find herself smiling at that, she loved hearing Harry laugh, for he had, had few occasions to do it over the last year, it warmed her inside to hear it.</p><p>"We can't just go! No one knows us!" She said with a fond look but another roll of her eyes.</p><p>"Perfect opportunity then" He said, and she laughed again, for she could now see he was serious, of course he was! God this was her best friend through and through, <em>reckless</em>. It often made her want to throttle him, this time included.</p><p>"Look, Dumbledore told us to suggest we are new, perhaps transfers?" Harry said and Hermione shook her head, her mind already whirring, because as well as reckless she knows Harry is damn stubborn, and if he had decided it, then she knew they would somehow end up at that party.</p><p>Which meant they needed a story.</p><p>"No" She shook her head and began to pace, back and forth, and Harry took that as a cue to sit down, and also take her hand and yank her down next to him to which she crossed her legs and turned to face him, to plan.</p><p>"We can't be transfers, we don't know enough about other schools, instead we'll say we were home-schooled" She nodded, as did Harry – it made sense, much more sense, less likely to get caught out in a lie if they claimed to be home-schooled.</p><p>"Okay, so that means we're purebloods" Harry said, and Hermione winced, he was right, only purebloods were home-schooled and sniffed at schooling away from home. Hell, she had been surprised some of the more lofty purebloods such as Malfoy had ever made it to Hogwarts, surely that was beneath them?</p><p>A little snort left her lips - prats</p><p>"Yes, you're right" She said with a sigh, refocusing, "Which means we need a family name"</p><p>With that she went to her beaded bag, for she hadn't yet unpacked every book, and dug through to find the tomb <em>'The Pure-Blood Directory' </em>– she had deemed it useful for investigating and identifying Death Eaters, but now it had an even more important use.</p><p>And so, with a groan (for it was useful but hardly stimulating reading), she flipped it open, "You take one side, I'll take the other" At that Harry nodded (knowing better than to argue with her methods of research), and they get to work.</p><p>And the work felt <em>long</em>.</p><p>"What about the Burkes?"</p><p>"Borgin and Burkes Harry, so no"</p><p>"We could say Gaunt?"</p><p>"No, Tom's cronies would know"</p><p>"Kama? Have you heard of them Hermione?"</p><p>"No, but it says here they are related to the Lestranges, better not risk it"</p><p>"Hmm…"</p><p>Half an hour later, and then …</p><p>"Got it!" Hermione said with a grin, like the cat that had got the cream, she did love it when her research came together, her finger stabbing the page where it read the name,</p><p>'<em>Jimbo Blishwick, married Misapinoa Black'</em></p><p>"Are you sure?" Harry asked, and she glared at him, to which she noticed he rolled his eyes, "Related to the Blacks Hermione, that might be difficult'</p><p>"Yes, but they were born in the 1940's, married in ugh, 1957 at 17 and 16" Hermione said with a grimace, "And look!" Again, she stabbed the page with her finger.</p><p>'<em>Left England to immigrate to Austria'</em></p><p>"And that is it, no more information, it will be easy for us to claim to be a descendent, wizards live long enough we could say they had us at an advanced age, and died recently, hence us returning to England!" Hermione said, "Easy"</p><p>"Okay" Harry nodded, "So we'll be siblings? Siblings home-schooled?"</p><p>"Twins" Hermione said with a nod, "So we can be in the same year, and yes home-schooled"</p><p>Harry nodded then, "We'll have to sell it. You saw how people like Malfoy acted, as long as we act the part, snobbish, we won't be suspected, we'll have to act like purebloods" He grimaced at that, as did she.</p><p>But she nodded too, he was right, "Right but we are Gryffindors, we'll say the Headmaster did a private sorting, and so we'll be snobs, but nice snobs"</p><p>"Perfect" Harry said then and he laughed, as did she, both out of relief they'd found a solution and in the craziness of it all.</p><p>If someone had told her at the start of the Horcrux hunt that in less than a years' time she'd be living in the 90's, parading as Harry's twin under the Blishwick name, claiming to be pureblood, she'd have thought them insane.</p><p>And yet here they were. With that she placed her hand on top of Harrys and remembered his smile at his Father, his wide eyes at his Mother.</p><p>Worth it.</p><p>"This is crazy" Harry said, echoing her thoughts and Hermione nodded, but smiles, it felt good to have a solution.</p><p>"Okay so, Harry and Hermione Blishwick, born in Austria, parents died recently, returned to England to settle their estates, and attend Hogwarts" Hermione nodded, "We'll need to fake some documents, to get past Gringotts, we'll have to ask Dumbledore"</p><p>"Tomorrow" Harry agreed, "We'll ask Dumbledore as we'll need to use his fire to go to the Alley, he'll be able to do it, he will"</p><p>Hermione nodded, "Twins, snobs, pureblood, well educated, perhaps a little bit baffled by the culture shift"</p><p>"What about our accents?" Harry asked, looking a smidge worried, "Not Austrian"</p><p>"No, but we'll say our tutor made us have English accents" Hermione said and they both nodded and smirked, that would be the exact kind of thing purebloods would do after all.</p><p>"So, that's our story?" Harry asked, and she nodded, it worked, somehow it worked. She glanced at the wand sticking out of Harry's pocket then, it seemed that magic and luck was on there side… for once.</p><p>"Well now that is sorted" He said and she groaned as he stood to his feet and took her hands to pull her up with him, "To the party" Harry said, and she rolled her eyes but again knew better to argue with him when he'd set her mind to something, plus he was smiling, and she'd often do anything to keep him smiling.</p><p>"Fine but get changed" She said, and went to the bathroom, she had no issue in changing in front of Harry but as she grabbed a jumper and jeans to change into she wanted to freshen up too.</p><p>"Alright" She shut the door behind her, splashed water on her face and tugged on her jeans, a vest top and a Weasley jumper with a big H on it. She realised it was hardly pureblood wear, but they were Gryffindors, they could be quirky but snobbish purebloods.</p><p>That made her think a little of Luna then, and she smiled sadly, certainly quirky but never a snob, oh how she misses her, and Ginny, and everyone.</p><p>With a sigh she tried to shake the past … <em>future</em>, from her head, and looks across at herself in the mirror. She looked more rested than she had in over a year, but tired, too tired, she supposed they could use their supposed parents deaths as an excuse, for she knew both Harry and her looked tired, grieving, for even though technically none of their loved ones were dead (some not even born yet), the version they had loved and known basically were.</p><p>"Come on Hermione" She mumbled to herself, she felt oddly nervous, she was after all no social butterfly, but she'd never deprive Harry of the opportunity to see his family again, she could handle her social worries.</p><p>And so, she stepped back into their room, and immediately felt better and let out a laugh, with Harry's soon joining hers.</p><p>Of course he stood in front of her in another Weasley jumper, green to her red, with a big H on it.</p><p>Two peas in a pod as her mother would say - another person she misses, so much. She does find some comfort that Harry can know his though, that will be enough for her.</p><p>"Quirky but snobbish?" She asked, and he laughed again and took her hand.</p><p>"Sounds good to me, lets go party" Another roll of her eyes but she nodded, pulled on her trainers, as did Harry, and then hand in hand they made their way to the Common Room.</p><p>She glanced over her shoulder as they descended the stairs, leaving their little sanctuary at the top of the tower, but they needed to, they needed to introduce themselves, make friends, allies, and Harry needed to see his family, and so wand in her pocket she took a deep breath and followed her best friend.</p><p>Into the Lions den.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>sooo thoughts?</p><p>lil bit of filler I know but next chapter a big party and maybe diagon! (though I have already started writing the party and might need to split the two).</p><p>anywho did you like/dislike? I cannot wait to have more interaction with our marauders and lily! soo hype. who d'you guys want to see most?</p><p>pls subscribe for updates, comment me your thoughts</p><p>speak soon</p>
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<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Welcome</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>update, update, updateeeeee</p><p>so, please enjoy, this was fun to write! I'm getting used to different characters and loving exploring them ^^</p><p>do let me know your thoughts - who do you want to see more of? sub for updates, and most importantly - enjoy!</p><p>songrecs: lost - emily afton</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The descent into said den seems to take forever.</p><p>She hears yelling, cheering, laughter and she has to fight not to cringe away from it. It is such a foreign sound, so many people together, happy, and joyful. Even after the battle had been won they'd all been sombre, surveying the dead, mourning and a little broken inside. There had been no celebrations, no joy, not as there is now.</p><p>She remembers once when she'd grinned and laughed at something as simple as a back-to-school party (though she'd often slipped away early to read in the corner), but now it seems almost impossible.</p><p>How can they have lived through what they have and still manage a cheer?</p><p>"It's alright" Harry's voice is gentle, and she offers him a smile, he knows her so well, more than anyone, he knows when she is worrying.</p><p>"I just…" She hesitates, even pauses on the landing at the 3rd floor, for soon they'll be in the common room. "It seems weird, to be back to such normal things"</p><p>He nods then, "I know, but wouldn't that have been what would have happened in the future? Even after all the pain and death? Back to normal?"</p><p>She nods, for she knows he is right, but it is still hard to process. "I guess normal felt faraway"</p><p>Harry nodded then, "Yeah" She knows more for him, she thinks of the prophecy … normalcy was always beyond that fate for him, and for her too.</p><p>"I was thinking" Harry says then, pulling her towards the boys' stairs, out of the way, so not to be misheard. "It just came to me actually; won't people wonder why I look like James?"</p><p>"Crap" All concerns over normality fly from her as she realises that should be the actual concern. Green eyes can be swept away, but Harry being so Potter-like can't. Why didn't she think of that? Trust it to be her to come up with the plan, Harry to see the issues with it.</p><p>She supposes that is what makes them such a good team, as they are.</p><p>"Here" She says with a nod, lifting her wand. It is a testament to how much Harry trusts her that he doesn't even flinch as she raises it. Still, he doesn't need to, for she does nothing and drops her wand whilst letting out a sigh.</p><p>She can't, not only on the logistical side that glamours wear off and can be seen through, but because as she looks at Harry, her best friend, she doesn't want to change anything about him, she needs him, and needs to know it is him, she doesn't want to change him.</p><p>"What if we aren't twins?" She says then, a new idea dawning on her. The twin idea had been good, easy even, but this one might be better. She pulls Harry further up the stairs then, and quickly casts, '<em>Homenum Revelio'</em> It comes back empty, they are alone in the stairwell, she had gathered as much but found it worth checking.</p><p>"I can still be Hermione Blishwick" But what if we make you another branch of the family? She chews her bottom lip then, "Do you remember Fleamont and Euphemia Potter? Your parents Aunt and Uncle?"</p><p>Harry nods then, trust him to analyse the Potter family tree, well she is thankful he did. "They could be my parents then? I'd be a Potter cousin?"</p><p>"Yes" Hermione nodded, feeling a little rush they might have figured it out. With a flick of her wand she summoned the copy of The Pure-Blood directory, to find the part on the Potters.</p><p>"Yes look!" She grins as she finds the family line,</p><p>'Fleamont and Euphemia Potter, creators of Sleakeazy, moved to and settled in France'</p><p>"Perfect" She nods, her mind whirling, "Why don't we have that I was raised in France too? Jimbo and Misapinoa moved to France after a few years in Austria?"</p><p>"Neighbours to the Potters?" Harry continued and she nodded, wizarding areas were always small, it wasn't impossible.</p><p>"You and I have been friends since we were children, and when my parents died of …" She bites her lip.</p><p>"Dragonpox!" Harry exclaims and she nods, for it is the best plausible reason.</p><p>"The Potters took me in!"</p><p>"But why didn't Euphemia and Fleamont tell the Potters in England?" Harry asked then and Hermione let out a huff, he was right.</p><p>God coming up with a convincing wizarding backstory was difficult. It would be easy to be muggle-born but then how would they explain their home education?</p><p>"Well, why did they leave England?" Hermione asked, flipping back through the pureblood directory.</p><p>'<em>Euphemia and Fleamont moved due to political differences with the British Ministry'</em></p><p>"Yes!" Hermione grinned then, "Easy, we simply say they didn't like England, wouldn't associate with it, it would be easy for you to pretend that's all you know" They both nodded then, it was a stretch, but it would work.</p><p>She is grinning, Harry is grinning, it makes sense, it explains why Harry looks like a Potter (and with hindsight explains them better as friends, for they look <em>nothing</em> like one another to be twins), and is an easier backstory than Austria, especially since she knows some French, she thinks they can certainly get by.</p><p>"Do I get to call it my plan now?" Harry says cheekily and she rolls her eyes before they move back onto the landing. She feels more confident in this now, and she is thankful for Harry, most people take her plans and ideas and just accept them thanks to her brightness, which she likes, but she knows she often needs to be challenged, needs to be questioned, and Harry does just that, for the benefit of them both.</p><p>"Okay" She nods, and then Harry takes her hand again, and she squeezes, she feels a little better with their new plan, but it doesn't dissipate her earlier worries.</p><p>"Hey" Harry says with a smile and turns to her again, "If it is too much we'll leave, but think about it, isn't this what we're fighting for?" Another round of laughter echoes up the stairs and a rowdy cheer that can only belong to Sirius. She sees the excitement in his eyes and even though she feels a little nervous she'd die before she took him away from this.</p><p>And perhaps he is right, perhaps she needs this too. This is what they fought for.</p><p>And so, she nods, Harry squeezes her hand this time and they make it the rest of the way down. Not into the Lions Den, but into the common room, their home, to have fun, something they haven't in a while.</p><hr/><p>As soon as they step out everyone seems to turn to look at them all at once.</p><p>It isn't actually like that of course. First one person looks over, nudges his friend, and then another, and then it goes around, and then within seconds the entire House of Gryffindor is looking across at them.</p><p>She gulps, hates being the centre of attention. Once at the Yule Ball (and that moment had felt good), had been enough, now she does not like people looking at her. She knows, as Harry squirms next to her, he is the same.</p><p>Her best friend despises the fame even more than she, but then he has good reason, one better than most. She feels cheered he won't be dogged by that here, she'll have to remind him of that, she promises herself to remember to do so.</p><p>"Who are you?" She's not shocked it is Sirius who speaks, who comes to the forefront of the group of gaping Gryffindors, in fact she'd be shocked if it wasn't him.</p><p>And as he comes to stand facing them, she is shocked by how different he looks.</p><p>Many had said Sirius was handsome in his prime, but if anything, they'd undersold it. He is stunning. Long silky locks, those arrogant pureblood features, high cheekbones, and no doubt a devilish grin (though there's no grin now, just a glare – he looks dangerous and dashing). He is a pureblood pretty boy and she near laughs at such a thought. She glances at Harry then and he just looks in awe, starstruck, like he can't quite believe it.</p><p>She nudges him with an elbow to the ribs and he glares at her, before realising he had just been gawping. Though it gets worse, and she should have expected it, as three more people fight to the front of the group.</p><p>She looks first at Wormtail. He looks better, healthier, not evil, but then she supposes right now he isn't. He isn't handsome but oddly enough he looks kind, he stands with his friends, but he offers a small, nervous smile, the friendly one, how different than she'd expected.</p><p>She supposes he isn't evil … <em>yet</em>.</p><p>She still feels a rush of hatred, but he is not what she expected. Harry squeezes her hand as he sees him, but manages to keep his temper in check, that she is thankful for. She has been on the end of the famous Harry Potter temper; it doesn't need to rear its head now.</p><p>She turns her gaze to Remus, who is even more starkly different than Sirius. Handsome yes, but healthy. It is astonishing how changed he looks. Scars yes, but far less, no grey hairs and a youth and exuberance she'd never seen in him. It makes her near smile, to see him so well, not plagued by his condition to the point of ageing him just yet.</p><p>And then James, the only one she hasn't met. He looks just as she'd expected, like Harry, and again she is thankful for her best friends' wisdom, there's no way they'd be able to explain Harry's distinct Potter looks. He's near a mirror image.</p><p>Except the eyes of course.</p><p>She notices Lily as well, stood to one side, but again the witch ignores her, eyes on Harry. She frowns at that, not that she'd ever want to keep Harry from his Mother, but … she has some concerns.</p><p>"We're transfer students" Hermione says, hoping to inject a little disdain in her voice, they are supposed to be purebloods after all, nice, quirky purebloods sure, but if Harry is meant to be the son of the Potters who left England in a huff, and she the daughter of the no doubt snobby Blishwicks they needed to perhaps be a tad standoffish – nice but with an air of aloofness, that's how she can sell it. And besides that suits her, she is hardly a social butterfly.</p><p>Also, she feels that a slightly snobby air (she tries to think of how Pansy Parkinson would upturn her nose), will sell their story some more, and more importantly stop too many unwelcome questions.</p><p>"Yeah" Harry follows and she near rolls her eyes. She adores her best friend, but he can't act, and she knows he wouldn't be able to act like a snob if his life depended on it. She supposes that's a good thing, if mildly inconvenient here. "We transferred from France"</p><p>"Beauxbatons?" A female student asks, head cocked, eyes wide and curious. She can see now, (and feels relief), that the hostile, worried looks are turning to curious, though the Marauders remain wands out.</p><p>She feels no offense in that, rather pleased their so cautious, though her gaze flickers to Pettrigrew again.</p><p>
  <em>Not cautious enough.</em>
</p><p>"Homeschooled" Hermione shoots back, "Preferable"</p><p>Everyone looks slightly ruffled then, and Hermione cocks her head, snobby yes, but quirky. Now she tries to emanate Luna and feels a pang – how she already misses her eccentric friend, no doubt she knows where they've gone, she would, she imagines the blonde is wishing them luck and feels that pang again.</p><p>"Then why have you come here?" James asks, stepping forward, always a leader, though Sirius and Remus have his back, Pettigrew too she notices, Gryffindor for a reason then.</p><p>"Not that it is your business" Hermione says, and glances at Harry again, at least he's got his expression under control, but remains silent, she knows he's likely screaming on the inside, she'll talk for both of them, "But our parents died"</p><p>"You're siblings then?" Remus asks, and she's shocked at how arrogant he sounds, that she doesn't remember, it is strange.</p><p>"No" Harry speaks then, rallying a little she realises, lie he can't but he'd never leave her out on a ledge alone, "Friends, best friends"</p><p>"And I don't think we owe you anything more than that" Hermione said with a shrug, hoping some politeness would stop them probing, but she can see James looking at Harry now … <em>ahh</em>, again she's thankful for Harry's thinking.</p><p>"Come on Hermione" Harry offered then, and she resisted the urge to glare at him. He was always friendlier, and though she was going for the <em>'slightly hostile pureblood, i.e. leave us alone'</em> vibe, he was clearly keen to make friends.</p><p>He was probably in the right, not that she'd admit that.</p><p>"Hermione's parents died of dragonpox 2 years ago, I was neighbours with Hermione, my parents died over summer" Harry said, and she glanced at him. He was good at weaving a story, a terrible liar he was, but he always came through in a pinch.</p><p>"I'm sorry" The girl who'd ask about Beauxbatons said, and Hermione nodded, and realised Harry had been right, nothing better than a bit of sympathy to cure suspicion. She can see everyone around them looking on in sympathy.</p><p>"You look like James" Sirius said with a bit of a glare, but even he was backing down, though she noted James had relaxed more so, though he was staring at Harry, just as Lily still was.</p><p>Fuck, they needed to be careful.</p><p>"James?" Hermione asked, and looked at Harry then, squeezing his hand hard, "Harry, didn't your Father mention a James once? In passing?"</p><p>"I think so" Harry said, his nails digging a little in her palm now, she could tell it was harder for him, of course the situation would be, "But then Mother and Father never liked to talk about the family back in England"</p><p>"Family back in England?" James asked then, and Harry clutched her harder, he had admirable restraint, something her best friend wasn't known for, she was glad he was employing it now.</p><p>"Yeah" Harry said, and she noted him poking at his scar then, as he always did when nervous, his tell. He didn't elaborate, how could he?</p><p>"We haven't introduced ourselves" Hermione jumped in then, better to get that out of the way. She hoped all questions about them could be answered here, they didn't need suspicion following them. "I'm Hermione Blishwick" She noticed a light of recognition in Sirius's eyes then, and she was pleased to see him nod, as though he knew the name, though he didn't relax, too many bad pureblood experiences probably.</p><p>"And I'm Harry Potter" Harry said then, eyes fixed to James, it was odd of him, but she couldn't begrudge him, she wouldn't.</p><p>She suddenly felt a pang of sadness, for her own parents … never to see them again. At least Harry was here with his, no matter how strange, how difficult not to just be able to come out and say the truth. At least they're here.</p><p>She felt that pang, but a lift of joy as James Potter's eyebrows raised. Yes, at least Harry had his parents here, and she knew regardless of the lies, at least he's able to see them, alive and well, and that is enough.</p><p>It would have to be.</p><p>"Potter?" James spoke and Hermione nodded. Again, she saw Harry fighting back his instinctual reactions, to run at his Father, to grin, to look up in awe. She clutched his hand tightly, support, she'll support him through anything.</p><p>They hadn't planned this, hadn't thought about how hard it would be, hell they'd come up with a story off the cuff. There had been no plan, no forethought, no idea of what to do. It was all reckless, and she smiled at that – now that was what Harry was known for her. Her now too it seemed.</p><p>They had grabbed the Elder Wand, and not thought about how hard it would be to assimilate, how Harry looks so much like James, how they have no money, no backstory, no plan. They're stumbling.</p><p>She feels her resolve harden then, not for much longer. Now they can stumble through, but tomorrow they'll make a plan.</p><p>Harry just nodded, and so Hermione knew she'd need to jump in.</p><p>"Yes, why?" She asked, hoping to cure suspicion, she knew who to mention, "Harry's parents Euphemia and Fleamont never liked England nor did mine, but before Harry's parents died they encouraged us to go to Hogwarts" She sniffed then, again it seemed this air was working. Harry garnered sympathy, and she was 'pureblood' enough to not seem too trite, "My parents disparaged the idea but when they passed, and then the Potters, they felt it was better than us being alone, and Dumbledore welcomed us as soon as he heard"</p><p>She saw the crowd visibly ease at that, Gryffindors would always trust Dumbledore, and though their story seemed outlandish, it had just enough truth, enough facts, enough to sell it, and the mention of Dumbledore was the cherry on the cake.</p><p>"My Father has mentioned Fleamont, said he left England in a huff, they were the more traditional side of the family" James nodded, and then she saw Remus and Pettigrew ease at that, James's endorsement means a lot, and he was nodding, apparently convinced, she was suddenly pleased Harry had thought to change their story, "Though why did they never mention you?"</p><p>"They always said they were done with England" Harry spoke then, evidently he'd picked enough skills in lying to teachers over the years, and she near laughed she was pleased about that now, "Never mentioned much family, but a name or two in passing"</p><p>"And what about you?" She noticed Sirius still seemed tense, annoyed, and she knew why, the Blishwicks were related to the Blacks, and blood fanatics too. The more 'traditional' Potters may have been snobs against too much integration, but they'd still been Potter's, still Gryffindor enough, but the Blishwicks? No doubt Sirius is surprised she's not in Slytherin.</p><p>"My parents despised England even more than Harry's, said it had gone to the dogs" She paused then and wrinkled her nose, "Said and I quote, <em>the British Ministry would have our bloodlines sullied by all types of people, and we won't be part of that</em>" She shrugged then but made sure to show the distaste on her face, she wanted to come off aloof not as a blood purist.</p><p>If only people knew, it made her laugh to be stood pretending to be a snobby pureblood, considering what was carved into her arm, considering her real blood, considering the slurs she'd experienced herself, considering she'd fought against her own eradication.</p><p>"And do you agree with them?" Sirius sneered, and she rolled her eyes, she knew Sirius wouldn't be pandered too, better to call him out on it.</p><p>"No" She said with her own sneer and she saw Sirius blink in surprise, "I dated a muggle over summer once, received a cane to the thighs three times" She shrugged again and saw Sirius's eyes alight – a kindred spirit of a pureblood rebel, "Didn't change my mind"</p><p>Something hung in the air for a moment, just a moment as everyone seemed to process, whether to accept or not. Could they accept? She tensed, felt Harry tense and then …</p><p>Sirius let out a bark like laugh, and suddenly had an arm around her shoulder and was steering her to the drinks table, as he turned her she saw James doing the same to Harry, and then he let out the shout.</p><p>"Let's give our new housemates a Gryffindor welcome!" He yelled, and she saw Harry grinning, now letting the awe on his face show a little more, she was too. A cheer rang up through Gryffindor, music was switched back on and the atmosphere immediately lightened.</p><p>She wanted to sag immediately but didn't keeping her shoulders a little tense under Sirius's, she couldn't give away how relieved she was their story had worked, though she was.</p><p>As Sirius thrust a butterbeer into her hand, and James began to waffle to Harry about the Potter family she gave her slightly starstruck best friend a grin though, one of relief and something else…</p><p>It felt good to be home.</p><hr/><p>Home.</p><p>Hogwarts had been his 1st home, his only home, and he felt that again now, stood in the Gryffindor common room, music playing, fire crackling, the same plush chairs. It felt natural, right.</p><p>And then more now, so much more…</p><p>James Potter, <em>his Dad</em>, stood opposite him, talking about his own Father … <em>his Grandfather</em>, Charlus Potter, and Dorea, <em>his Grandmother</em>, talking about their differences, how they'd never mentioned him.</p><p>"But you're a Potter none the less" He said with a grin, and Harry had to stop himself flinging his arms around his Dad, and just nodded, looking slightly struck, he just hoped his Dad took it as awkward, though he felt anything but.</p><p>He felt happy, blissfully happy. Here was his family, his flesh and blood family alive and well, happy, smiling. He had Hermione here too, it was like a dream come true. He felt a pang for the people they'd left behind, but he wouldn't be bogged down with sadness, this was too good to be marred.</p><p>There was a downside, he hated having to lie, to conceal the truth, he wanted to just blurt it out, but a glance at Hermione (who was now deep in conversation with Remus, who looked delighted to be in debate with her about some kind of Arithmancy theory), he knew they couldn't, knew it would be too dangerous.</p><p>But he could still bask in this, and he did, a little in awe.</p><p>His Dad was here, and he was friendly, a little arrogant yes, but friendly, enthusiastic, charming even. Harry wondered if he'd have been the same having been raised by him, but that thought slid away from him soon, as he just listened, nodded, sipped his drink, and basked in it, trying not to seem too gleeful.</p><p>This made it worth it, it all worth it, even if he couldn't tell the truth, it did. He'd accept having to lie to be here, with family.</p><p>"How's it going new Potter?" Sirius said, at ease now it seemed he'd accepted them, and he smiled as Harry grinned at the new nickname.</p><p>He was trying not to smile like a total looney, but he knew he was partially failing. How could he not? Seeing his family, his Father, Godfather, Remus, his Mother (though he hadn't seen her at the party yet). He couldn't help himself, and as Hermione and Remus wondered over, she smiled at him too.</p><p>Tonight, he wouldn't worry too much about his behaviour, not tonight, tomorrow they'd need to figure things out (and he knew Hermione would be thinking the same, and likely had an hour ago), but for tonight? Tonight, he wouldn't worry.</p><p>It had been a long time since he'd had no worry.</p><p>"Good" He nodded, "Just a lot to take in" He said, and they all nodded, Hermione slipped her hand into his then, and he saw James glance at them and he grinned, devilish as it was.</p><p>"Well, you'll be welcome here" Remus nodded, and Harry grinned.</p><p>"Yeah, already feeling that" More than that, but he was pleased to see everyone smiling.</p><p>"So, you two friends?" His Dad asked then, nodding at his and Hermione's entwined hands, and he saw Sirius grinning then, catching on, as did Remus, though his smile was kinder, and Pettigrew who had wondered over, though Harry was trying to ignore him without giving it away.</p><p>"Best friends" Hermione said with a glare, and he near laughed, he was no socialite himself, but he knew Hermione felt uncomfortable with all the people around. He hated the fame more, but she would much rather be curled up with a book he knew.</p><p>"You sure about that?" Sirius said with a cheeky grin, "Are you friends in the way James wants Lily to be his friend?"</p><p>"Oi" His Dad said, and Harry had to cough to conceal a laugh.</p><p>"Who's Lily?" Hermione asked, she was a far better liar than him, which he was thankful for. He squeezed her hand then, trust Hermione to always help him, and he did trust her, with his life.</p><p>"Oh, just James's big crush" Sirius said with a laugh and Harry laughed too as he saw James blush pink.</p><p>"Oh Lily!" Sirius yelled in a sing-songy voice, and James shoved him then, as Remus and Pettigrew laughed, as Hermione rolled her eyes but cracked a grin herself. He was just smiling, he knew his parents weren't together, not yet, but just seeing them, it warmed him.</p><p>"Shut it Black" He heard his Mother fire back and he felt that rush of air to his lungs again. He couldn't see her, but it was his Mother … Lily Potter, his Mum.</p><p>His Father was here, good naturedly wrestling with Sirius now, Sirius was laughing, Remus was here rolling his eyes, and that was great, but with his Mother … it was <em>different</em>. He could barely keep the awe off his face with his Father, he knew with his Mother he wouldn't be able to.</p><p>She had given her life for him; in his eyes she was the closest thing to a Saint he knew.</p><p>"You okay?" Hermione nudged him and he nodded, though he felt his eyes welling up then. As amazing as this was (and it was), it could become too much, especially as he caught a glance at his Mother, who looked back at him with that odd puzzled expression.</p><p>Possibly too much.</p><p>"Let's go to bed" Hermione said with a nod, hand in his squeezing, and he shook his head, they'd only been here for an hour or so, he didn't want to leave.</p><p>"No, I want to stay" And Hermione shook her head then.</p><p>"This is a lot Harry, for me too, I can't imagine how much for you" He felt some relief to hear her say that, it wasn't him freaking out alone, and she understood, as Hermione always did. "We should rest, reset, and then tomorrow make our plan and go to Diagon, and then have breakfast with them or something, something easy"</p><p>"Don't worry" She said with a smile, a kind smile that helped calm him, "It is a lot, and we're still battle worn, a lot to take in" She said, and he laughed a little then before nodding.</p><p>Hermione always knew what was best for him, and knew often what was best for him when he didn't want to agree.</p><p>"We're going to turn in" Hermione said, and Sirius booed at that to which she laughed, as did he, and felt something ease in him, but he still knew Hermione was right. He had suddenly felt bone tired, and knew sleep called.</p><p>"It's only 11!" James said with a scoff.</p><p>"And we are on little sleep and had to do continental appiration earlier" That seemed to sell it as they all winced and nodded, and Harry felt relief.</p><p>It was a lot, to have his dead parents, young and in front of him again, well and treating him like a friend … well it was a lot with his Dad, Sirius and Remus, as he glanced over at his Mother (who was looking away now, but seemed to sense his gaze and look back at him), it was a lot, like the air stolen from his lungs, and he knew he needed a pause.</p><p>And Hermione sensing that, well it just showed their bond.</p><p>"Night all" Hermione said, and he nodded, people called out goodnight to them as they made it to the stairs, and he felt warm again. He glanced back at his Mother who was looking away again, but he felt that sensation again, that she was here, close, and then he felt a tear slip down.</p><p>"Come on" Hermione said, voice gentle as she led him upstairs. Once again, they ignored the separate beds, she quickly excused herself to change in the bathroom and he stumbled through changing himself.</p><p>Once she returned, he felt a deep ease as she settled in next to him, and reached for his hand, waving her wand, 'Nox'. He clutched her hand tightly, and felt his body relax, felt the night drain through him, felt the ease that only Hermione could bring next to him.</p><p>They'd slept like this many times whilst on the run, and he had gotten so used to it, he didn't think he could be without it.</p><p>"You okay?" She asked, and he nodded, squeezing her hand, for he was. A lot to take in … a lot, she was right, but then when wasn't she?</p><p>"Tomorrow we'll plan" Her voice was soft as she rolled to her side, still clutching his hand, "Tonight we bask in what happened, we sleep, rest and we process" He nodded, and felt another tear fall, to which Hermione leaned over, resting her head on his shoulder, in comfort, which was the thing that gave him enough ease to slip into sleep.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>sooo thoughts?</p><p>I am loving writing this fic - so much fun and I hope you are enjoying!</p><p>just a few bits to address that ppl have been asking/commenting:</p><p>- no, harry/hermione ain't having romance yet, this is slow burn.</p><p>- I understand harry and hermiones choices can be frustrating! ofc, but they didn't plan to go back, they did it in the moment (our reckless bbys lol), they are working off the cuff, it ain't gunna be perfect, they ain't master planners and manipulators.</p><p>- I appreciate reviews and comments hugely! but pls keep them constructive, if you don't like something thats fine! but no need to berate or insult.</p><p>- pls stop telling me what to do with the storyline/what I should change, I am writing this how I want, I'll ask for suggestions when I want them, otherwise ya'll need to stop inboxing me how you 'think' I should write it - no, no, no.</p><p>otherwise - I do hope you're enjoyed! and continue to - thanks to everyone for commenting and subbing and all your kudos'! </p><p>speak soon</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Sleep</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I am so getting into this story! this pairing is one of my fav's and is motivating me to write!</p><p>do let me know your thoughts - love, hate? as long as it is constructive or you just want to say hi (or gush endlessly - I'll take that too...) I love it!</p><p>subscribe for updates, lemme know your thoughts, and most importantly - enjoy!</p><p>songrecs: you all over me - taylor swift (taylors version)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When they wake, they were more tangled than when they'd fallen asleep.</p><p>It was nice though, he could feel the stained tears on his cheek, felt a deep relief that Hermione's hand still clutched his tightly, and that she remained close (maybe too close, as she struggled not to sneeze as her hair crowded his face).</p><p>It had been an odd night, he had fallen asleep with tears in his eyes, purely overwhelmed at what had happened, but he had slipped into darkness as Hermione had reassured him, and had slept relatively well, though two nights good sleep wasn't quite enough to wash away a years exhaustion.</p><p>It was a start, and he felt better than he had in a long time, more well rested, less achy, more at ease.</p><p>And now the feeling of being overwhelmed was fading, and he just smiled, remembering the night before, his Dad, Mum, Sirius, Remus … <em>his family</em>. He'd talked to them, seen them, it felt too good to be true.</p><p>And yet as he looked down at Hermione, who'd really made all of this happen, who was still out cold, head on his chest, clutching him, it hadn't been too good to be true, it had been <em>real</em>.</p><p>He felt that warmth in his chest, and wanted to rush down to breakfast then, to talk to his Dad, to Sirius, to Remus, maybe see if he wasn't feeling so dazed, he could talk to his Mother. He wanted to jump up and just be at Hogwarts, <em>his home.</em></p><p>Hogwarts had always been his first home.</p><p>But he looked down at Hermione, fast asleep, still with dark smudges under her eyes, and silently picked up his wand. 'Tempus' He whispered – only 8:05am.</p><p>He was awake but a year of no sleep and knowing Hermione needed more sleep, had him placing down his wand, smoothing Hermione's hair away from his nose, and settling back down, asleep again in minutes.</p><p>It was a Sunday, and damn right, they'd earned a lie in.</p><p>And besides, it was much easier to sleep with Hermione by his side. They'd gotten so used to it whilst on the run together, and he wasn't sure how either would ever be comfortable sleeping alone again.</p><p>Thankfully for now they didn't have to, and so in minutes he was asleep again, the two curled around one another.</p><hr/><p>It was Hermione who woke next.</p><p>She felt rested, well better rested than she had in months. Each night of sleep seemed to help cure the exhaustion she'd simply learned to live with for over a year, it was odd, feeling her body getting used to sleep again, but welcome.</p><p>She glanced over at the clock – 9:10am. Early, but thankfully not too early, the sleep has felt well earned, and well deserved.</p><p>With a small sigh she forced herself to sit up, Harry is still asleep next to her, his hair ruffled around his face, his smile more alight than she remembers, an ease to him that puts her at ease as well.</p><p>She smiles, but decides not to wake him up, they both need as much sleep as they can get, and so she plans to slip away, get ready for the day, maybe read, relax for a bit before shaking Harry awake in an hour or two – they do have stuff to do after all.</p><p>Still, as she moves Harry's eyes are fluttering open, and she smiles to herself; they are in tune with one another it seems. She doesn't mirror her best friend, but she knows they bounce off one another's emotions. It comes with their closeness. When Harry is happy, she feels more cheerful, when she is sad, Harry is more morose, and when she wakes, Harry does too.</p><p>"It was them Hermione" Is the first thing he says now awake, as he sits up, blinking away sleep.</p><p>She smiles at her best friend as he rambles. About his Mother - the green eyes that match his; about his Father - how fun he'd been to talk to, how mischievous; about Sirius - a bad boy through and through but a good laugh; about Remus - kind and yet more reckless than Harry had known.</p><p>He talks on and on, and she'd never be able to cut him off. She just smiles, props her head on her hand, watches as he talks about Potter's, Quidditch and family, as he seems to be smiling - properly smiling for the first time in months, and she just grins.</p><p>It makes it all worth it. Ron, Ginny, Luna, her parents, all gone now, she feels a pang of hurt, at missing them, but then just refocuses on Harry's smile.</p><p><em>Worth it.</em><em><br/></em><br/>It is a nice start to the morning, Harry smiling ear to ear, his hair slightly mused. She knows her hair is like a haystack, but she can't bring herself to care. Not when Harry looks so happy. She knows she's smiling too.</p><p>
  <em>Worth it.</em>
</p><p>"And he mentioned quidditch! Tryouts are end of the week, I've got to go for it" Hermione laughs then, she loves he has found some normality in this situation - quidditch of all things! She's glad and rolls her eyes. Though she's the same, she found some normal discussion with Remus last night that had felt normal (and infuriating as she won't admit he might be smarter than her). Normal was good.</p><p>She hasn't thought too much about the normality. Quidditch (she near grimaces that means another year of sat shivering in the stands, she will of course, always to support Harry). She realises they'll be going to classes, Hogsmeade, normal stuff. It seems so impossible, and yet sorely needed.</p><p>Normality, she'd never craved it so much before. Being Harry Potter's best friend meant kissing normality goodbye, adventure after adventure replacing any boring 'normal' year of school. And yet, now she realises for a little while things can be normal, even if just for a little while.</p><p>"I'm happy for you Harry" She says, snapping out of her thoughts. "Really" And she is, truly - worth it.</p><p>"Are you okay?" She nods then, Harry can be sensitive when he needs to, and as he threads his fingers through hers, she lets out a little sigh of content. Yes, her best friend knows when she needs him.<br/>"Seeing you happy" She pauses then, thinks of her parents, feels that pang, but it's easily diminished when she thinks of Harry's smile. "Makes it all worth it"</p><p>"Are you sure?" She resists the urge to roll her eyes - Harry will always be selfless, the saviour, always one to place his own happiness second. He is a hero, it's his best quality and the one that makes her want to strangle him sometimes.</p><p>They had both been placed in Gryffindor for a reason. She knows she's brave, reckless even sometimes (though nowhere near on the scale of the Potter sat next to her), but she had always had a chance to go to Ravenclaw, hell, part of her thinks if she hadn't been a muggleborn she might have ended up in Slytherin! But Harry? He's a Gryffindor.</p><p>She remembers when he confided in her, one-night shivering in the tent about the hat, about what it had said…</p><p>'<em>It said I could have been Slytherin Hermione' They were both cold, tired, hungry. Huddled together in the bunk bed, backs against the wall, holding onto one another as rain lashed against the sides of their tent, as they chewed on some old bread, ignoring the pangs of hunger.</em></p><p>
  <em>At least they were together, that was the only silver lining, as she cast another warming charm, as she moved a little closer to her best friend, and he rubbed a hand up and down her arm.</em>
</p><p>'<em>It said Slytherin could lead me to greatness' His voice had dropped to a whisper, and she searched about for his hand, threading her fingers through his, clutching him tightly.</em></p><p>'<em>Maybe it could have' She offers, Harry won't be reassured by dismissal here, 'But you went to Gryffindor' She shakes her head as Harry looks down at her, desperately searching for her reaction, 'Where you belong, if it even matters, does it?'</em></p><p>'<em>Doesn't it?' He whispers, and she shakes her head again, 'I had to ask not to go to Slytherin'</em></p><p>'<em>And that proves why, if it does matter, you are a Gryffindor' She says, and she knows that's what he needed to hear, and offers more, 'You were brave enough at 11, to ask a sentient magical being, on your first day of Hogwarts, to ask it to listen to you' She grins then, and can see Harry smile a little too, 'Doesn't get more Gryffindor than that'</em></p><p>'<em>I guess that's true' He says, and she nods, with a smile, resting her head on Harry's shoulder, casting another warming charm.</em></p><p>'<em>It is' She nods, and can feel the tension in her best friends shoulders relax. 'You're a Gryffindor Harry, through and through, and even if you were in Slytherin, you'd still be my best friend'</em></p><p>'<em>You think so?' He asks, and she nods, no doubt, no hesitation.</em></p><p>'<em>You and I would have always found one another' It's those words from her that relax them both, and allows them, for the first time in months, a somewhat decent night of sleep.</em></p><p>"Very sure" She leans forward then, snapping out of her own thoughts, pulls him into a hug, "And besides, I have you"</p><p>"Always" He doesn't even hesitate to reply and that chases the last pang away. And they sit for several minutes, still mused from sleep, still in pyjamas as Gryffindor Tower wakes around them.</p><p>Content, happy, together.</p><p>
  <em>Worth it.</em>
</p><hr/><p>"Come on then" Hermione says, not wanting to break the moment but knows alas - they have stuff to do today, their little bubble of trying to sleep, relax and adjust needs to come with them.</p><p>To Diagon Alley.</p><p>They had come here with their wands, the clothes on their backs, what was left in her bag and little else. Thankfully the castle provided the basics of warm robes, and clothes, but they needed more than that, they needed books, equipment, clothes, Harry needed a broom! They had much to pick up, and so she forced herself out of bed, and Harry with a reluctant sigh followed.</p><p>She opened the trunk at the end of the bed and looked through. The night before they'd packed away the rest of their clothes, mostly jumpers, tops, and jeans, they'd each need a full school wardrobe.</p><p>They had some books, particularly Hermione was glad to see textbooks on every major subject, and a few gems that she knew would be too advanced for this era and would need to remain locked away for the moment.</p><p>They had a few bits of equipment, a pewter cauldron she'd thought they might need on the road, but they'd need potions agreements, stuff for Astronomy and Herbology, they'd need to buy for every subject. Harry would need a broom; she'd need to make sure she had all the correct textbooks.</p><p>Thankfully money wasn't an issue.</p><p>Before obliviating her parents she'd taken out her college fund and turned it to galleons, and Harry in a burst of wisdom had stored several bags of galleons at the Dursley's the year before they'd left. They had healthy amount between them, all stored in her bag, plus relics they'd need to store in their vault.</p><p>That would be their first stop: Gringotts, and then the shops to purchase everything they needed.</p><p>"What are you keeping on you?" She asked as she picked up some clothes from the trunk, jumper, jeans, trainers, and Harry did the same though offered her a glare as she claimed his quidditch jumper to wear, leaving him with his green Weasley jumper, snitch and all.</p><p>"I've got the map, the snitch, the shard of mirror" Harry said, patting the pouch around his neck, "The fake locket" He paused then and glanced inside, "I think that's everything"</p><p>"You'll keep ahold of the Elder Wand?" She asked, as she looked at it by the bedside and he nodded.</p><p>"I don't want it to fall into the wrong hands, but I don't think we should destroy it, I might put it in the vault, since I've repaired mine " She nodded at that, and began to pull on her clothes, as Harry turned from her to do the same, offering her some privacy but allowing their conversation to continue.</p><p>"I'll keep my bag on me, with the essentials if we need to make a run for it, but otherwise I think we need to make an effort to settle here, open a Gringotts account, settle into classes" Harry nodded at her words, and smiled, as did she, she knew they had been on the run for over a year, settling down would feel strange, but what better place to do it?</p><p>"Won't classes be different?" Harry asked and she nodded.</p><p>"Probably easier" She said with a dip of her head, "Maybe hard to adjust as some stuff won't have been discovered"</p><p>Harry nodded then, "We'll sit our OWLS this year"</p><p>"Yeah, I think we need to do our best, the Order won't take underperformers"</p><p>"Agreed" Harry said then and she almost laughed, here was the day her best friend agreed about performing well in exams – she had lived to see it.</p><p>"Haha" He mocked then, practically reading her mind, "I'll still beat you in Defence"</p><p>She couldn't help the huff of outrage that left her then, and Harry laughed too, "Sorry" He offered before laughing again, to which she joined.</p><p>God it felt good to laugh.</p><p>"So, to Diagon then?" Harry asked and she nodded, slipping on her shoes, waving her wand to make the bed (though not perfectly, she'd never bothered too much with domestic charms), and grabbing her bag as Harry did the same.</p><p>"I think we can use Dumbledore's floo" She said, and so they set off.</p><p>The Common Room was mostly empty as they arrived, and they actually got a few waves which they returned as they made their way to the door, they had much to cram into one day.</p><p>"Hey" They were stopped though, and Hermione immediately knew by who, especially as Harry smiled at the recognition of the person's voice.</p><p>Lily.</p><p>"Where are you two going?" She asked, and Hermione remarked that Harry's Mother was quite nosy, not that she begrudged it, it was a trait of hers too.</p><p>"For supplies" Hermione offered, for again Harry was a little awe struck, Lily too in a sense, which unnerved Hermione a little. Lily looked at her with a smidge of suspicion but with Harry she just looked a little starstruck.</p><p>She knew there was no way Lily could know, but could she tell? Feel <em>something</em>? Were her instincts as a Mother telling her something? Hermione didn't know but she hoped not, they couldn't afford to have someone poking around.</p><p>Though at Harry's smile she softened towards the slightly nosy Lily Evans, anyone who made her best friend smile like that was on the right side of her.</p><p>"To Diagon?" Lily asked raising an eyebrow and Harry nodded.</p><p>"Yeah, for school stuff" And Lily nodded then, suspicion gone, hmmm … it was strange, she'd need to talk to Harry about that later … if she could get him to stop mooning over his Mother in the flesh and blood for long enough.</p><p>"Well see ya" Hermione said, yanking on Harry's arm. She can see her friend doesn't want to leave and Lily lingers for a second even as they step through the portrait hole, but then the door shuts and she can link her arm through Harry's and practically steer him to Dumbledore's office.</p><p>She doesn't voice anything about his Mother now, not when he smiles so, but she will, she'll have to.</p><p>"Lemon Drops" She says and the Gargoyle hops aside, the password the same as yesterday. They are soon ascending the steps, and are knocking on the Headmasters door, she's not surprised he answers immediately, always awake and alert.</p><p>She muses then whether Dumbledore sleeps, it seems odd but he must.</p><p>"Mr Potter, Ms Granger, how can I help you this fine Sunday?" He offers ushering them inside. She feels that twinge of suspicion at Dumbledore, he is the greatest wizard of all time, and she knows Harry still trusts his mentor completely, and Dumbledore's refusal to meddle in time is certainly a point in his favour but she can't totally trust the Headmaster, not anymore.</p><p>He had kept too much from them, for a good reason, that she understands, but still.</p><p>"We need identity documents Sir" She says, and he nods immediately before heading to his desk, "And to use your floo to go to Diagon please"</p><p>"Of course, of course" He says with a nod, and again she feels that hint of curiosity that he is so content not to ask them questions, not to meddle. It is against her nature for one, she is far too curious to not ask, but Dumbledore seems to have some self-control she doesn't. Perhaps it comes with time, perhaps he had meant what he'd said yesterday, <em>'I am truly curious, which is rare for me nowadays'</em>.</p><p>He smiles at her as he lifts his head, and that twinkle in his eye makes her think he knows exactly what she's thinking, and it amuses him.</p><p>He then hands her a set of papers, she can see they are ornate, on thick parchment, detailing their births, their magical signatures, all forged of course, but she knows if anyone can trick the Goblins, it's Dumbledore.</p><p>Harry doesn't even question them, he trusts Dumbledore to do them right, so does she in a sense, but she supposes she wasn't as exposed to him, only heard about his motives second hand. Harry sat in this office for hours upon hours learning from him, perhaps he has more reason to trust. Or more reason to not be as suspicious as she is.</p><p>"And these will get us past the Goblins Sir?" She asks, and Dumbledore just smiles, not offended in the slightest. In fact, she gets the sense he approves of her due diligence and inquisitiveness.</p><p>"Yes" He says with a nod, before walking to his floo. With a simple flick of his hand the flames jump, and he grabs a flowerpot full of floo powder, she note's the sides of the pot are covered in yellow flowers, and they match those on his robes.</p><p>"They'll give you everything you need here" He says, and then nothing more. Harry nods, and takes a handful of powder. He is still a little starstruck by Dumbledore too, as Harry is with everyone around him at the moment. Not that she can blame him.</p><p>She's not the type to get starstruck, or she probably would be too. Seeing Dumbledore alive again does bring her some comfort, but she had come back with Harry expecting it to be the two of them, against the world in a sense … and with Dumbledore's dismissal of wanting to know their story, perhaps it still is.</p><p>"Come on then Hermione" Harry says, and she realises she's been musing in her own thoughts, and so she nods, thanks Dumbledore who just smiles and gives them a wave as first Harry steps in to the floo and calls out for the Alley. She goes second, and nods at Dumbledore as she steps in, he nods back before turning to his desk.</p><p>"Diagon Alley" She calls, and then with a crackle of green flames she is gone.</p><hr/><p>The Leaky Cauldron looked exactly the same.</p><p>It struck her that it hadn't changed at all. Tom looked the same, the bar, the chairs, all of it. There were warm fires lit in the places around the room, more than one rowdy conversation happening, and the air smelt like butterbeer.</p><p>She turned to Harry, smiling at him as he gave her a grin back and inhaled the air - so he was thinking the same. The little pub they'd spent plenty of times in over their summers had not changed a bit, it was oddly comforting.</p><p>She wondered if the rest of the Alley would be the same.</p><p>"Where to first?" Harry asked her and she shrugged checking for her bag and wand.</p><p>"Gringotts?" She asked, papers for their identities forged by Dumbledore around Harry's neck in his moleskin pouch. He nodded then patting it, and they fell into step with one another before heading out into the Alley.</p><p>They made their way quietly down to Gringotts both of them not needing to make conversation. That was one of the very things she liked about Harry and their friendship - there wasn't always the need to fill the air with chatter, sometimes they could just walk side by side in silence, comfortably without feeling the need to talk.</p><p>She knew he was doing the same as her, observing the Alley as they walked through it. It was quiet compared to the summer but fairly bustling as it was a weekend. She preferred that, though crowds were disconcerting to her after so long spent alone with just Harry and Ron, it was easier to get lost in them.</p><p>In fact, as she glanced over at Harry she could see him smiling at the anonymity and she grinned to herself. His lack of fame in this time was a blessing she knew Harry enjoyed and was grateful for. Her best friend had never been a glory hunter.</p><p>As the crowd grew once they made their way towards Gringotts, Harry took her hand and she slipped hers into his. It was natural, without thought, their fingers interlocking with no shame, no blushing, no worries.</p><p>She and Harry had reached a level of comfortable around one another when they had been on the run, and that wasn't going to way. Not after what they'd experienced, just the two of them - <em>together</em>.</p><p>They arrived at Gringotts quickly, no one could miss the huge bank towering over the Alley. It had seemed intimidating to her before but now as she looked at it, a wry smile on her face, she knew it wasn't as impenetrable as the Goblins claimed.</p><p>It seemed Harry had the same thought, letting out a laugh at her expression, and she found herself grinning too, a giggle leaving her.</p><p>"Not too scary now" He teased, and she laughed again - she remembered Harry's mad plan; leap onto the back of a dragon! He certainly did have his reckless streak, as he had proven time and time again, and she had gone along with. Was she as reckless as he? Not quite, but she had come far from refusing to break the rules.</p><p>"No" She agreed, laughing again, as did Harry. "But let's try and leave by the front door this time"</p><p>They let out their last laughs as Harry nodded, "Deal" Before they released one another to step through the security protocols and into the bank.</p><p>She tried not to shiver as she was scanned, as they stepped through the ornate golden doors, though she did find herself reaching for Harry's hand as they made their way to the front desk. She thought of the dragon guarding the vaults down below and felt a pang for the poor thing. At least in another life it had been rescued.</p><p>"State names and purpose" The reedy voice of the Goblin spoke as they approached the desk, Hermione glanced at Harry who nodded at her. Yeap, she was the one to do the talking.</p><p>It was usually the way, in situations of explaining and reasoning Harry left to her but in moments of bold braveness and standing up Harry took charge.</p><p>It worked, as did all their dynamics. She felt a little twist of her stomach then as she thought of Ron, the 3rd in their trio, she missed him and didn't want to admit to herself that their dynamic would be fine without him. It would have to be, she knew they had made the right choice in leaving him behind.</p><p>Ron had much to lose, they only had one another.</p><p>Harry nudged her then and she realised she needed to speak up, and so she cleared her throat before handing over the papers.</p><p>She felt a little nervous, the last time they'd been here they'd been breaking the law too. But though her trust in Dumbledore wasn't completely where it had been, she fully trusted him to be able to deceive the Goblins.</p><p>"My name is Hermione Blishwick" She said, putting a little bit of what she called 'snobbery' into her tone, "This is Harry Potter. We were living in France before moving here recently, we are here to open new vaults"</p><p>"New?" The Goblin sneered as his partner analysed the papers, magnifying glass flicking and flashing as he looked over their new identities.</p><p>She felt a little pang that the name Granger was gone, but it made sense, even if she didn't like it.</p><p>"Yes" She said, reminded of the last time she'd been here, masquerading as Bellatrix Lestrange of all people and looked down her nose at the goblin, whilst shaking in fear on the inside. She feels much that way now, though comforted by the papers they've handed over.</p><p>"You don't need to open new vaults" The goblin sneers, "Or do you not both want the inheritance clearly bequeathed to you as the last living relatives of your lines?"</p><p>She means to school her expression, but her eyebrows raise involuntarily, she's thankful it's not just her though, as she looks over at a very surprised Harry. Neither of them are good at being stoic, though she is slightly better she supposes.</p><p>"Of course" She manages to recover, "Please take us both to them" The goblin sneers at her but nods to his companion who scoops up two keys and jerks his head for them to follow as he moves into the depths of the bank.</p><p>She glances at Harry as they follow to one of the carts that will take them deeper in. He offers her a slightly cheeky smile and she rolls her eyes - of course they are both thinking of the last time they were here again.</p><p>Breaking and entering, fighting goblins and wizards alike, fleeing on the back of a dragon. Pretty typical for them.</p><p>She had thought this time might be slightly less eventful: open their vaults, deposit everything and then go into the alley, but as they both climb into the cart and she finds herself taking Harry's hand again for some comfort, and the Goblin glares at them both of them as he says, "To the Blishwick vault first" Perhaps it will be more eventful than they'd both planned.</p><p>Isn't that just them? As the cart jumps forward and her other hand grabs the side, and the vaults around them become clear, she near smiles at the thought. Yes, things going not to plan and slightly off the rails? She glances at Harry who smiles at her; definitely them.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>sooo thoughts?</p><p>I had to split diagon into 2 chapters - the next chapter is proving thick!</p><p>so, what does everyone think of the current situation? not quite what we expected! at the moment it is somewhat calm but just wait ... drama incoming soon!</p><p>do let me know your thoughts, I loove to hear them! sub for updates</p><p>also shameless shill: do check out my oneshot harry/hermione: exile. I also have a 2nd oneshot for this beloved pairing in the works so keep an eye out!</p><p>speak soon</p>
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